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ΓΡΑΦΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ
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The National Herald
www.thenationalherald.com
May 14-20, 2016
Afya Provides
Med. Supplies
For Refugees
By Eleni Sakellis
AP Photo/Petros GiAnnAkouris
Tensions are on the Rise as Brawls Break out in Greece Refugee Camps
People walk on their way to Idomeni camp, Greece, after trying to cross the Macedonia's border,
Wednesday, May 11, 2016. Around 9500 stranded refugees and migrants are camped at the
makeshift refugee camp of the northern Greek border point of Idomeni. Story on page 11.
$1.50
LOS ANGELES, CA – For the
last 16 years Fox Filmed Entertainment Chairman Jim Gianopulos' innovative leadership has
been instrumental in producing
Oscar-winning movies such as
Avatar, Titanic, Sideways, and
The Martian.
In 2000, he became co-Chairman of Fox Film (formerly 20th
Century Fox and 21st Century
Fox) along with Tom Rothman,
and he is now sole chair.
With the distinction of having served so long at such a
large and influential movie studio, Gianopulos has enjoyed an
extensive and illustrious career
in the film industry, and shared
his thoughts in an interview
with The National Herald.
GREEK ROOTS
The Gianopulos family story
is one of survival and success.
His father, Nikos, came to the
United States as an illegal alien
right after then end of WWII
and the Greek Civil War. But for
Nikos even to arrive here, he
had first to miraculously survive
the sinking of the Greek Navy
cruiser Elli that was hit by an
Italian submarine in August
1940 while anchored on the island of Tinos. His survival was
solely a matter of luck and timing, as he was on a higher part
of the vessel when the torpedo
hit the Elli’s bottom. A few
months later, Italy invaded
Greece after Ioannis Metaxas refused to surrender.
When Nikos Gianopulos arrived in the United States in
1951, he created the American
Ship Repair Co. that provided
replacement parts to international commercial fleets. The
company has remained a family
owned business ever since.
HELLENISM AND THE
HERALD
Nikos created the company
even though he did not speak
English at the time. He received
all his news, in Greek, from this
newspaper’s sister publication
Ethnikos Kyrix-National Herald.
''My father anxiously awaited for
the evening edition of the NaContinued on page 6
Reforms Done, More Austerity Looms
ATHENS – Having rammed
more austerity through Parliament, Prime Minister Alexis
Tsipras said it signals the beginning of a recovery although the
country’s lenders have yet to release more monies from a staggered 86-billion euro ($98.03
billion) third bailout.
Eurozone finance chiefs
haven’t decided yet over the disbursement but Tsipras is hoping
they will act on May 24 at their
next meeting in Brussels.
In a speech to his Cabinet,
Tsipras, leader of the Radical
Left SYRIZA, spoke of “a beneficial result for the Greek economy” while his coalition partner
Panos Kammenos, chief of the
pro-austerity, far-right nationalist Independent Greeks (ANEL)
said the new austerity and reform heralded “Greece’s exit
from an era of creditors,”
Kathimerini said.
Government spokeswoman
Olga Gerovasili said the disbursement of the next loan, expected to be around 5.7 billioneuros ($6.5 billion,) will likely
be in June. Without it, Greece
won’t be able to make a 2.3-billion euro ($2.62 billion) loan
payment in July to its creditors,
the Quartet of the European
Union-International Monetary
Fund-European Central BankEuropean Stability Mechanism
(EU-IMF-ECB-ESM).
Despite fury and protests
over his reneging on anti-austerity campaign pledges, Tsipras
is preparing yet more, including
more privatizations – which he
promised to reject – letting
banks chase debtors who can’t
pay because of big pay cuts, tax
hikes, slashed pensioners, and
worker firings.
There will also be a bevy of
new taxes – he had promised to
The Afya Foundation is a
nonprofit organization that
helps countries around the
world who are in desperate
need of medical supplies and
equipment. Through donations
of surplus medical supplies and
equipment mostly from the Tristate Area, Afya (which means
“good health” in Swahili) works
with the people on the ground
to ensure the most efficient distribution of supplies, equipment
and humanitarian aid possible.
Afya’s focus in the past has
been on developing nations in
the Caribbean and Africa, and
on areas affected by natural disasters, but most recently, Afya
has been helping the island of
Lesbos deal with the man-made
refugee crisis.
Afya Founder and Executive
cut them – on fuel, coffee, Internet connections, pay TV and
others across-the-board, including in the critical tourism market, the country’s biggest revenue engine
The government must also
pass legislation introducing a
mechanism for automatically
cutting state spending if Greece
misses budget targets or it will
have to make another 5.4-billion
euros ($6.16 billion) in contingency austerity.
THE DARK DAYS
Tsipras said he believed his
commitment to austerity that he
said while out of office had destroyed Greece would be the signal the lenders need to talk
about serious debt relief, although Germany has ruled it
out.
Greece has also pushed for a
Continued on page 11
AP Photo/thAnAssis stAvrAkis
Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras during his government
cabinet meeting in Athens, Tuesday, May 10, 2016.
Charalampopoulou on Another Look
Pergamon
Hand at Feeding 5000 At
At the MMA
TNH Staff
Continued on page 5
For subscription:
718.784.5255
[email protected]
cv
By Vasilis Papoutsis
TNH Staff
Continued on page 2
anniversary
Jim Gianopulos Takes
20th Century Fox into
The New Millennium
Cielo Gala
Acclaims
Daskalakis’
Leadership
NEW YORK— Dr. Demetre
Daskalakis, Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of
HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control of the New York City Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene, was honored at the
Cielo Gala on May 6 at Cipriani
in New York.
The annual benefit gala for
the Latino Commission on AIDS
paid tribute and recognized the
leadership of Dr. Daskalakis
with the Esperanza Award. Esperanza in Spanish means hope.
The self-proclaimed gay health
warrior is tireless in his efforts
to expand HIV testing to highrisk communities in New York
City.
Commission
President
Guillermo Chacon said, “Dr.
Daskalakis has been a fearless
warrior in the battle against HIV
and AIDS, and a defender of
public health throughout his career. His dedication and initiative to engage patients and
those at risk of HIV are personal
qualities that give us hope that
we will overcome the AIDS epidemic.”
The Esperanza Award recognizes leaders in medical research, public health, and treatment dedicated to fighting HIV
and AIDS. The award was established in 1996. Previous honorees include the late Dr. Helen
Rodriguez-Trias, the first Latina
President of the American Public
Health Association and women’s
health advocate.
When asked about receiving
101
1915-2016
A weekly Greek-AmeriCAn PuBliCAtion
VOL. 19, ISSUE 970
st
tnh/CostAs BeJ
New Consul General Visits The National Herald
Greece’s new Consul General in New York, Konstantinos
Koutras (left) with TNH Publisher-Editor Antonis H. Diamataris.
Story on page 5.
With so many people starving in the world, wasting food
is a growing problem in developed countries around the
world.
In the United States, charities
like City Harvest attempt to
remedy the problem through
food drives and programs in
partnership with various groups,
collecting food and distributing
it to those in need. News reports
of food waste by local supermarkets and chain restaurants only
reveal a small portion of the
problem.
Recent research has revealed
that the United States spends
$218 billion a year growing,
processing, and transporting
food that is never eaten. Up to
63 million tons of perfectly edible food ends up in American
landfills each year – a troubling
number from a resource and
greenhouse emissions perspective, but all the more galling in
light of the roughly 49 million
Americans who live in food insecure households, not knowing
where their next meal is coming
from.
In efforts to shed light on this
critical issue and its solutions,
Feedback, an environmental
non-profit organization, based
in London, dedicated to ending
food waste at every level of the
food system, held the opening
Feeding the 5,000 event of its
US campaign, with support from
The Rockefeller Foundation and
in partnership with a coalition
of more than 40 like-minded organizations and chefs, to “Take
food waste off the menu.”
Greek-born Niki Charalampopoulou, Managing Director of
Pergamon and the Hellenistic
Kingdoms of the Ancient World
opened at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA) on April 18
and runs through July 17. The
exhibition covers the art and
artistry of the Hellenistic era,
the time period after the death
of Alexander the Great in 323
BC until the suicide of the
Egyptian queen Kleopatra VII
(the famous "Cleopatra"), in 30
BC. Hellenistic art, once dismissed as decadent, has recently
received more attention from
scholars and archaeologists excavating Hellenistic sites. The
reevaluation of artwork that remained relevant and influential
across the Roam Empire for
Continued on page 4
Continued on page 4
By Eleni Sakellis
COMMUNITY
2
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 14-20, 2016
Francesco Portelos to Run for UFT President as a Reformer
TNH Staff
NEW YORK – Working within
the system for improvement is
the ideal with people for whom
a job is more than a paycheck
yet are not revolutionaries, but
when the system turned against
public school teacher Francesco
(Francis) Portelos and presented
him with the fight or flight option, there really was no choice.
“I’m Greek,” Portelos told
TNH. “I have a fight in me and
the gloves are off.” The opponent is the establishment United
Federation of Teachers (UFT)
establishment and he is running
for its president in the New York
Metropolitan Area on a reform
platform.
Actually, he is Greek on the
side of his mother Angeliki, who
is from Ikaria, but he also gets
his fire from his father Sebastian
Giordano, who is from Sicily –
una faccia, una razza.
Portelos’ parents met in the
subway going to English language classes. He and his
younger sister Christian grew up
on Staten Island.
He studied civil and environmental engineering at Polytechnic University and worked in the
field for seven years before his
wife Angela, who is a teacher,
made him realize “education is
my path…and I never turned
back.”
Their two boys are five and
three and his wish for them to
get the best public school education possible motivates his activism.
“I teach middle school” – a
rough age – “in a very rough
neighborhood in Staten Island
near housing projects. The kids
have parole officers and some
are very over age. They should
be in high school…but I loved
it because I was given the freedom to create an engineering
lab and I took my knowledge
from Polytechnic U and my technological knowledge and created a lab. My robotics team
was number one in New York,”
he said.
“I got to the point where I
couldn’t believe I was getting
paid for doing what I loved doing. I took kids from broken
homes and now they love
graphic design and editing.”
“The principal loved me, and
administration was recommending me to be an administrator
myself,’ he told TNH.
That’s when he got more involved in the union, but that’s
where his trouble began.
“I got involved in school leadership teams and budgeting but
it turned out that the principle
was involved in malfeasance…
At the meetings I asked questions about the budget and it
was game over for me. I became
persona non grata and they
came after me,” said Portelos.
Even the school’s union
leader seemed to be acting on
behalf of the principal.
“They tried to get me to shut
up…but I called the Special
Commissioner of Investigations
with evidence showing she was
two places at the same time –
double dipping.”
He thought it was disgraceful
that colleagues were forced to
go to Radio Shack to buy wires
for their computers.
He experienced casebook
whistleblower retaliation, including having his computers
seized at work and home.
On February 28, 2012, “I was
hold holding my son…we were
expecting our second child, so if
they come after me, they come
after my family I thought to myself. I put my son down, I
opened up my laptop and created the website “Protect Portelos.”
“That site saved me. I got
very good at documenting. I was
exposing, making audio recordings. I became the Serpico of the
DOE. It caught them off guard
because people started reading
it and the New York Post picked
up the story.”
“I filed a federal lawsuit that
will go to trial soon,” he said.
It’s first amendment violation. I
spoke up on matters of public
concern and I was retaliated
against. I ended up with 10,000
page of discovery they thought
I’d never see…its one big mountain of corruption.”
He got out of the “rubber
room” where teachers authorities don’t want in classrooms are
parked, but he was rotated all
over Staten Island in short-term
assignments, including teaching.
“And all that time the union
was nowhere to be found,” he
said.
Portelos believes that the UFT
leadership is now so close with
officials of the Dept. of Education that it has become a “company union” where it works
more in the interests of the company – in this case the UFT –
than for the students and parents. “We want to bring it back
to where it’s for the community,
the students and the parents,
and the teachers.
He created the “Solidarity”
ticket and is taking on the establishment of one of the most
powerful unions in the country
in May when 200,000 UFT metropolitan area members will get
a ballot in the mail.
“If I win,” he said, I’ll be the
first New York City Dept. of Education parent to be the head of
the teacher’s union. That will be
huge. I have skin in the game as
a father. When the UFT lobbies,
it’s going to be aligned with the
Francesco Portelos became active with the UFT to ensure
that when his kids grew up,
they would get a better education at the high school
where he taught – and they
would attend.
best interests of our students –
and that hasn’t been the case in
the last few years.”
Greek-American Doctor Honored at Cielo Benefit Gala for Fighting HIV/AIDS
Continued from page 1
the award, Daskalakis said, “I
am overwhelmed by the honor
of receiving the Esperanza
Award from the Latino Commission on AIDS. The work of the
Commission embodies the core
of my philosophy of how we will
end AIDS in New York City, New
York State and beyond: with
love and respect. Hand in hand
with our community, represented by the Commission, we
are all warriors who will prove
that love is the most potent antiretroviral. I am humbled and
inspired by this great honor.”
Daskalakis discussed with
TNH his being a first-generation
Greek-American, his parents
both from Evrytania, his father
from Megalo Chorio and his
mother from Karpenisi. The
shared vision for fighting HIV
and AIDS is what led the Latino
Commission to honor Daskalakis.
After posing for photos on
the red carpet, the honorees and
celebrity guests, including Victor
Martinez, Program Manager,
tnh/stelios lAmBrou
LEFT: Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, Assistant Commissioner of the
Bureau of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control of the New York
City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, was honored
at the Cielo Gala on May 6. RIGHT: The Cielo Gala program
with the theme Designing a World Without AIDS emblazoned
across the top presents the evenings highlights including the
awards presentation with Greek-American Dr. Demetre
Daskalakis receiving the Esperanza Award.
Long Beach Center of Bienestar,
a community service and advocacy organization, who was
awarded the Dennis de Le n
Voz de Compromiso Award, and
Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo
Wurtzbach, enjoyed a cocktail
reception, silent auction, and
dinner, all to raise funds for the
battle against HIV and AIDS.
The hosts for the event were
Sibila Vargas, NBC4 New York
news anchor, and actor J.W.
Cortes. The theme of the event
was Designing a World Without
AIDS. The Grammy-winning
Spanish Harlem Orchestra led
by Oscar Hernandez provided
the live music along with Mariachi band Flor de Toloache and
Swiss singer/songwriter Bastian
Baker. Jamar Rogers, a finalist
on season 2 of The Voice, who
is living with HIV, also performed at the gala. The awards
presentation followed dinner.
The annual Cielo Gala raises
funds to support the Latino
Commission on AIDS creating
and promoting HIV and AIDS
service programs and initiatives
aimed at increased awareness,
prevention, and treatment education for Hispanic/Latinos, as
well as to build capacity among
other HIV/AIDS organizations
serving Latino communities
throughout the United States
and the Territories.
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THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 14-20, 2016
COMMUNITY
3
Cherry Hill’s St. Thomas Parish Joyous about Senior Apts.’ Opening
CHERRY HILL, NJ – On the
Sunday of Saint Thomas, May
8, the Saint Thomas parish in
Cherry Hill, NJ celebrated its patron saint’s feast day and held
the blessing and dedication
(grand opening) of the Saint
Thomas Senior Apartments,
while launching their ambitious
plan to renovate their church.
Just before the end of the Divine Liturgy, Parish Council
President Dimitris Rozanitis
along with other council members, as well as acting head
priest Father Christoforos
Oikonomidis presented the congregation with a model of the
Church’s new exterior while receiving the blessing of Metropolitan
Evangelos of New Jersey,
who officiated the celebratory
Divine Liturgy.
The new project includes the
addition of a dome and bell
tower, which will give the
church the characteristics of a
ter their benefactor, Mary
Chigounis. The apartment complex, the only one in the Tristate
area which built by a Greek Orthodox community, is comprised
of 37 apartments. Twenty apartments have already been leased,
and the remaining 17 are ex-
Rozanitis thanked Evangelos,
noting that the project’s completion would not have been
possible without his help and
advice.
The committee in charge of
the project was headed by Nick
Criaris, and included Chris Dia-
tnh/steve lAmBrou
Byzantine temple.
Rozanitis and former PC
President (and current VP)
George Horiates told TNH that
the project will cost half a million dollars and is expected to
be completed next year, just in
time for the community’s 50year jubilee.
Horiates pointed out that
they will initially take out a loan
and in time the entire amount
will be recouped through donations and fundraisers. Meanwhile, he expressed his firm belief that, as with all previous
projects, it will be completed by
the projected deadline.
During the Divine Liturgy,
Clockwise from top: St. Thomas Church in Cherry Hill, NJ celebrated their patron saint and
Apostle on May 8- His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos presided over the ribbon cutting and
blessing of the St. Thomas Senior Apartments in Cherry Hill, NJ. • The St. Thomas Senior
Apartments in Cherry Hill, NJ. • St. Thomas Senior Housing Board of Directors Anthony Chigounis, Chris Diamantoukos, Martina Harris, George Burlotos, Antony Velahos, Thomas Pousatis,
Nick Criaris, John Souras, and Tom Gotzis. • The ordination of Father George Parsenios was
also celebrated at St. Thomas Church in Cherry Hill, NJ. • A banner held by parish council
members reveals the future look of St. Thomas Church.
Metropolitan Evangelos of New
Jersey ordained to the Holy
Priesthood Deacon George
Parsenios to the Holy Priesthood, a graduate of Holy Cross
Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Boston, and a current
Associate Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological
Seminary. Evangelos officiated
the blessing of the Senior Apartments, which will be named af-
pected to be leased soon.
The major benefactors of the
complex include AHEPA, which
donated the plot right next to
the community center and the
gymnasium, as well as the late
Kyriakos and Mary Chigounis,
who bequeathed approximately
$2 million for the complex’ construction. The community collectively
donated
about
$400,000.
mantoukos, Liberty Zografos,
Tom Gotzis, Mike Kouvatas,
George Burlotos, and other
members of AHEPA, the Federation, and the community.
At a luncheon following the
blessing, Evangelos honored
Christopher Diamantoukos for
this many years of service to the
community, and for his contribution to the project’s construction.
COMMUNITY
4
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 14-20, 2016
Revisiting Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World
more than 300 years is long
overdue.
The artifacts on view provide
exquisite examples of the scope
of Hellenistic art, from intricate
jewelry and mosaics to lifelike
portrait busts and large-scale
statues, the attention to detail
is remarkable. The wealthy
elites of the time commissioned
works of beauty to decorate
their homes. Skilled artisans
crafted glasses, ceramics, and
other everyday objects influenced by the Classical Greek design and Eastern cultures that
Alexander’s conquests brought
together. Clean lines and elaborate decoration both found expression in Hellenistic art,
demonstrating the skill of artisans in workshops across the
Hellenistic world. The exhibition brings a forgotten, or rather
neglected, era to life. The striking bronze portrait bust of
Ptolemy II Philadelphus whose
extensive royal patronage
helped establish Alexandria
with its lighthouse, museum,
and library as one of the greatest cities in the Hellenistic
world, seems about to speak to
you, as one museum-goer suggested. Busts of Epikouros, Antisthenes, and Karneades, three
leading Athenian philosophers
whose writings were studied by
Pergamene intellectuals offers a
glimpse into past and into the
philosophical ideas that captivated the minds of the people.
The survival of many of the
artifacts in the exhibition is due
to the Romans collecting Hellenistic art around the 1st century BC. The demand at that
time for Greek art, mostly from
the workshops in Athens, was
so high, Rome soon became a
new center for Hellenistic art
with Greek craftsmen migrating
there and establishing a thriving
art market. Artisans in workshops in Rhodes, Kos, and Asia
Minor also produced fine works
of art for export throughout the
Roman Empire. Some of the artifacts on display were preserved under the ash that covered Pompeii and Herculaneum
in the eruption of Vesuvius in
79 AD and then excavated in
18th century. Others were
pulled from the sea floor in underwater excavations of ancient
shipwrecks including the famous Antikythera shipwreck.
Video of recent underwater excavations at the Antikythera site
is also on display in the exhibition.
tnh/eleni sAkellis
One of the galleries of the exhibition Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient
World on display through July 17 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art features portrait busts of
popular philosophers and a large-scale head of Zeus.
A gold wreath with myrtle leaves on loan from the Archeological Museum of Thessaloniki is on display in the Pergamon
and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World exhibition
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through July 17.
With works from the MMA’s
own collection and from museums in Athens, Thessaloniki, Kalymnos, Naples, the Vatican,
Berlin, Paris, Morocco, and
Tunisia, the exhibition provides
a unique opportunity to view
the art of Pergamon and the
Hellenistic kingdoms in one location that would otherwise require a lifetime of travel to accomplish. One enthusiastic
art-lover observed, this exhibition is “not to be missed.”
Those interested in attending
the exhibition are advised to
the viewer to see the work from
all angles, and how they had not
learned about Greek and Roman
mythology or much at all about
Western culture in school, but
now travel extensively just to
view the art inspired by Greece
and its culture. They were particularly fascinated by the fact
that there are, “so many different versions of the myths.”
Tourists from France, Spain, and
across the United States all expressed their admiration for
Hellenistic art. One GreekAmerican couple noted that
they had seen a few of the
works in Athens, but would
have had to travel to Berlin to
see much of the art from Pergamon. One third of all the artwork in the exhibition is from
the Pergamon Museum in
Berlin.
Essential to our understanding of the legacy of Hellenistic
art is the realization that there
were no classical models for
whole areas of Greek imagery
during the Augustan period of
Rome, only the Hellenistic ones
were available, especially for
The striking bronze portrait bust of Ptolemy II Philadelphus
whose extensive royal patronage helped establish Alexandria
with its lighthouse, museum, and library as one of the greatest
cities in the Hellenistic world.
visit during the week to avoid
the weekend crowds. Visitors
from around the world are
flocking to see the Hellenistic
art on display. One couple from
China remarked on the wonderful artifacts, the impressive
sculptures in the round inviting
representations of Dionysos and
his followers, the Bacchantes,
and the nude Aphrodite. For
representations of battles, sculptors relied on the royal Attalid
monuments with the Hellenistic
models influencing Imperial Roman art for centuries. The re-
discovery of Hellenistic art also
inspired later artistic movements during the Renaissance
and Baroque era.
Part of the exhibition’s related programming, a two-day
symposium, Art of the Hellenistic Kingdoms: From Pergamon
to Rome, held on May 4 and 5,
offered a more in-depth look at
the legacy of Hellenistic art.
Renowned scholars from across
the globe presented new scholarship on the art history and
archeology of the Hellenistic
era. On the first day of the symposium, The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Director and CEO
Thomas P. Campbell offered his
welcoming remarks followed by
the introduction to the event by
Dorothee Dzwonnek, Secretary
General, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and Carlos
A. Pic n, Curator in Charge, Department of Greek and Roman
Art at The Met. Among the
scholars, Andreas Scholl, Director, Collection of Classical Antiquities, The National Museums
in Berlin, Germany presented
Monumental — Impressive —
Unique: Hellenistic Art and Architecture in the Restored Pergamon Museum. Kiki Karoglou,
Assistant Curator, Department
of Greek and Roman Art, at The
Met offered her work on An
Early Hellenistic Votive Statuette in The Met: AlexanderDionysos Melanaigis? Olga Palagia, Professor of Classical
Archaeology, National and
Kapodistrian University of
Athens, Greece presented
Pergamene Reflections in the
Sanctuary of Diana at Nemi.
The second day of the symposium focused on the decorative arts of the Hellenistic kingdoms. Christine Kondoleon,
George and Margo Behrakis Senior Curator of Greek and Roman Art, Department of Art of
the Ancient World, Museum of
Fine Arts, Boston, presented Poets, Performers, and Riddles in
Hellenistic Mosaics.
Accompanying the exhibition, the gift shop offers souvenirs including books, scarves,
statues, and hand-hammered
gold jewelry designed by Fotini
Liami from Thessaloniki. The
catalog of the exhibition, Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World by
Carlos A. Pic n, Curator in
Charge, and Se n Hemingway,
Curator in the MMA’s Department of Greek and Roman Art,
is also available.
tnh/eleni sAkellis
ABOVE LEFT: Tristram Stuart,
on the right, introduces some
of the partners who helped
bring about the Feeding the
5,000 event in New York’s
Union Square, City Harvest
Executive
director
Jilly
Stephens is on the left.
ABOVE: Greek-born Niki Charalampopoulou, Managing Director of Feedback at the
Feeding the 5,000 in New
York’s Union Square helps
shed light on the global issue
of food waste. RIGHT: Members of the public enjoying
their free ratatouille lunch at
the Feeding the 5,000 event
in New York’s Union Square
to bring attention to the
global problem of food waste.
LEFT: The City Harvest truck
ready to deliver meals to
those in need in all the five
boroughs of New York City.
Food Waste Exposé: Charalampopoulou Helps Feed 5000 in Union Square
Continued from page 1
Feedback, brought the organization and the event to our attention at The National Herald.
In an interview with TNH, she
noted the successful events held
in Athens and Thessaloniki and
the need to bring attention to
this global problem. Charalampopoulou earned her Masters at
the London School of Economics
in the Department of Geography
and Environment, and joined
Feedback in 2011 managing the
design, organization, and delivery of Feedback’s campaigns, including Feeding the 5000. She
noted that many restaurant
owners would like to reduce
waste and donate food rather
than throw it away, but often
don’t know where to begin. Creating partnerships is an important aspect of Feedback’s mission to end food waste.
In a festive atmosphere with
music and a few people dressed
as green beans, the Feeding the
5000 event in Union Square
provided 5,000 members of the
public with a free feast, made
entirely from fresh, top-quality
ingredients that would have
otherwise been wasted. The
tasty result was a ratatouille or
vegetable stew with salad and a
specially made bread, the recipe
developed by Drexel University’s
Food Lab, on the side. The celebratory banquet, supported by
top food tastemakers such as
chef Dan Barber, chef Jason
Weiner, chef Evan Hanczor, was
prepared in the kitchens of
Great Performances Catering
and Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen
and furnished an additional
5,000 meals to City Harvest’s
network of local food banks and
soup kitchens, plus another
1,000 meals for the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen.
Tristram Stuart, founder of
Feedback, said that Barber, chef
and co-owner of Blue Hill, was
one of the first chefs Feedback
reached out to about the New
York event, and he supplied 300
nut press cookies, made from the
leftover pulp after making almond milk, for the event. Stuart
went on to thank all those in attendance. Also present, Jilly
Stephens, Executive Director of
City Harvest, who spoke about
the organization’s efforts to feed
the hungry throughout the five
boroughs of New York since its
founding in 1982. Previous Feeding the 5,000 events held in
Athens, Thessaloniki, Paris,
Dublin, Milan, and Brussels, and
other European cities have served
over 170,000 meals since Feedback began the project in 2009.
“Worldwide, there is growing
recognition of the colossal problem of avoidable and unnecessary food waste. Thankfully,
there is also a growing awareness of the menu of delicious
solutions that exist to tackle it,”
said Stuart. “Feeding the 5000
events are designed to celebrate
these efforts while simultaneously empowering the general
public to make informed deci-
sions about buying and using
food, and to demand change
from the food industry. Supermarkets in particular must recognize that it's no longer acceptable to discard food in
dumpsters and cause farmers to
waste crops while people go
hungry. It's up to us, the public,
to recognize that every forkful,
trip to the fridge, or visit to a
grocery store is an opportunity
to take a stand against food
waste.”
To tackle the food waste
problem, Feedback has suggested that “US supermarkets
and manufacturers should agree
between themselves, without
delay, to a single uniform date
labeling system for the whole
nation to replace the confusing
"best if used by,” “sell by,” “expires on,” and other labels that
lead to consumers to unknowingly throw out good food. Supermarkets should sell "ugly"
fruit and vegetables and stop
causing farmers and suppliers
to waste perfectly good food on
account of overly strict cosmetic
buying policies. Supermarkets
and major manufacturers
should measure and report precisely how much food they currently waste, as hiding the problem hinders the solutions.
Supermarkets and food retailers
should make all unsold, surplus,
fit-for-consumption food available to organizations that can
put it to good use by feeding
people, rather than just discarding it.”
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 14-20, 2016
COMMUNITY
5
Astoria Street Conamed for Greek TV Personality Demetris Kastanas
TNH Staff
ASTORIA – The conaming of
31st Avenue between Steinway
Street and 41st Street for the late
Demetris Kastanas took place on
May 7 under overcast skies. The
event honored the Greek-born
Kastanas who founded the National Greek Television program
in 1975, then expanded it into
its own channel in 1987. Eseis
Magazine was also founded by
Kastanas to cover issues affecting
the Greek community.
Kastanas’ program was a staple in Greek-American homes for
decades when weekend visits to
Yiayia’s house always included
watching Kastanas. For many,
Kastanas’ program and later cable channel were a bridge to the
homeland offering news and entertainment in the years before
the internet and YouTube have
made our world so much
smaller. He was helped the
fundraising efforts of a number
of charities, including the Greek
Children’s Cancer Fund.
The street conaming event
was attended by Kastanas’ family
members, including his widow,
Nomiki, son George, daughter
Matina, granddaughter Maria,
son-in-law Michael Siderakis, as
tnh/eleni sAkellis
New York City Councilmember Costa Constantinides, Michael, Matina, and Maria Siderakis,
Nomiki Kastanas, George Kastanas, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, and Assemblymember
Aravella Simotas display the sign “Demetris Kastanas Way.”
well as several dignitaries. New
York City Council Member Costa
Constantinides, Assemblymember Aravella Simotas, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios,
Humanitarian aid is needed throughout the world, Afya Foundation is helping alleviate the refugee crisis in Greece through
Project Spora.
Consul of Greece Costas Koutras,
Consul of Cyprus Vasilis
Phillipou, President of the Federation of Hellenic Societies Petros Galatoulas were all present
and expressed their appreciation
and thoughts on Kastanas’ life
and legacy.
Archbishop Demetrios offered
a blessing and noted that Kas-
Another raft arriving on Lesbos with more refugees greeted by
the hero first responders of the island whom the Afya Foundation is eager to help through Project Spora.
tanas’ legacy as a staunch supporter of the Greek Orthodox
faith and Hellenism continues
through his family and that his
presence during these times is
missed.
Constantinides
said,
“Demetris Kastanas helped promote Hellenism and Democratic
values throughout his life. We
honor him because he served as
a great example of civic engagement. As the founder of the first
Greek-language channel, he
made news and entertainment
accessible to Greek-Americans
throughout our city and our
country. We are proud to commemorate Kastanas’ contribution
to our city with this street conaming.”
State Senator Michael Gianaris, who was unable to attend,
released this statement, “There
is not a single Greek-American
in New York whose life has not
been touched by Demetris Kastanas. I have fond memories of
watching his Saturday afternoon
television show with my grandmother when I was a child, as it
was the center of the Greek community at that time. It is an
honor to continue his legacy
through the addition of Demetris
Kastanas Way right here in Asto-
ria.”
Simotas spoke about her own
personal memories, “I have such
fond memories of my time visiting his station to express my best
wishes to his listeners for the holidays and special occasions, both
as a young student and in my
current role representing our Astoria community. I am honored
to be a part of this ceremony, renaming a street for this special
person, right here in Astoria,
which so many Greeks have
called home.” She went onto say
that she would be forever grateful for Kastanas’ support in the
early days of her political career.
Nomiki Kastanas was moved
by the event, and spoke with
emotion, “I am so pleased,
proud, and deeply humbled by
this street co-naming honoring
my husband, and although we
miss him deeply, it gives us inner
peace knowing that all his years
of hard work and sacrifice have
been vindicated, recognized, and
appreciated.”
The event concluded with the
unveiling of the street sign
Demetris Kastanas Way and a
presentation of a replica to the
family members. Following the
event, a reception for family and
friends was held at Cavo.
A loaded truck ready to transport surplus medical supplies,
equipment, and humanitarian aid to those who need it on the
beleaguered island of Lesbos in Greece.
Afya Foundation- Easing the Burden of the Refugee Crisis on Lesbos
Continued from page 1
Director Danielle Butin traveled
to Greece with her team in January to see for herself how the
foundation could help. She said
to TNH: “if you had told me one
year ago that we would be helping a European country, I would
never have believed it.” She
went on to describe the devastation on the small island whose
infrastructure during the economic crisis is barely enough to
sustain the resident population,
and is now overwhelmed by the
thousands upon thousands of
refugees who have washed up
on its shores.
Trained as an occupational
therapist, Butin saw what she
described as “an entire landscape of need,” from the coast
guard to the hospitals, clinics,
and even the police, all the first
responders needed basic supplies and equipment that could
be provided through the Afya
Foundation and its partners in
Project Spora.
She spoke specifically about
the Vostanio Hospital in Mytilene, where she asked a doctor
“what do you need?” and a moment passed before he responded:
“14,000
sterile
gloves.” Something as basic as
hospital gloves that Americans
take for granted can make a
huge difference in the day-today running of the hospital, caring for patients, residents and
refugees alike. Butin observed,
“No one had asked them what
they needed, so it took a moment to think.” She called the
people that she met on Lesbos
“angels and heroes” for their
tireless efforts to help the
refugees in spite of having little
New Consul General Visits
The National Herald
LONG ISLAND CITY – The new Consul General of Greece in
New York, Konstantinos Koutras, recently visited the main New
York offices of the National Herald, accompanied by Consul
Manos Koubarakis, and spoke with Publisher-Editor Antonis
H. Diamataris.
Koutras congratulated Diamataris on the 101st anniversary
of the founding of the newspaper and expressed the emotion
he felt when he saw the street sign in front of the offices on
30th Street, which is written in both languages: Εθνικός Κήρυξ
- National Herald Way.
The meeting took place two days after Koutras’ arrival in
New York and assumption of his post, exemplifying his interest
in the Greek-American media. Koutras replaced Georgios Iliopoulos, who departed from New York on May 2nd in order
to assume his duties as Ambassador of Greece to Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
resources themselves to do it.
Butin asked Panagiotis
Proventzas, the head manager
of the Vostanio Hospital for a
list to be compiled of all the supplies and equipment needed by
the various departments, and he
returned with a large stack of
handwritten notes. “Helping the
helpers,” Project Spora supports
the people on the ground who
are working directly with the
refugees, getting them the
equipment and supplies they
need, like defibrillators, wound
care kits, and warming blankets
for the rescue boats.
Project Spora, from the
Greek word for sowing of seed,
will help bolster the Greek
health infrastructure, “sowing
seeds of hope for dislocated
refugees and selfless Greek humanitarians.” The project has already filled, shipped, and delivered three containers of supplies
and equipment for the beleaguered island. The Greek Orthodox Church has been instrumental in facilitating the transport
of the containers through customs from the port of Piraeus
to Lesbos, and Butin expressed
her gratitude for the continuing
help of the Church in supporting
this worthy project.
The partnership with busi-
Danielle Butin, Founder and Executive Director of the Afya Foundation, at work compiling lists
of what the people need to deal with natural disasters and health crises around the world.
ness, political, and religious
groups is already seeing
progress, but more needs to be
done to spread the word about
Project Spora, especially among
the Greek-American community,
which has seen the toll the
refugee crisis is taking on the
Greek islands, but may not
know how best to help.
Butin also mentioned an upcoming fundraising event to be
held on June 16 at Moderne
Barn, a restaurant in Armonk,
NY owned by Nick Livanos,
whose family is from Lesbos.
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Shortseller Chanos is on a
Roll Again
The renowned Wall Street
shortseller Jim Chanos is at it
again: this time, he has made
bets against SolarCity and Tesla,
and both stocks are falling, Business Insider reports.
In fact, Tesla, the motor company, is down more than 20%
since last month, BI wrote.
Last fall, Chanos questioned
the company’s ability to increase
production to meet demand, BI
reported, and was not convinced
that it could maintain a techno-
logical advantage over the competition, at least not enough to
justify its increasingly soaring
stock price.
As for SolarCity, Chanos has
long been critical of the energy
company’s solar panels leasing
model, BI reported, and said the
organization’s capital-intensive
nature would make it nearly impossible for profits to be realized.
Both companies are owned by
Elon Musk, whom Chanos says
he is not targeting specifically, as
BI noted; he has praised Tesla’s
products in the past.
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TNH Staff
The funds raised will help fill
more containers to be shipped
to Greece to help ease the burden of the largest humanitarian
crisis the world has seen in recent years. More information is
available on Afya’s website:
afyafoundation.org.
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COMMUNITY/ARTS
6
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 14-20, 2016
George Mitas is behind the Camera for the New Film by William DeMeo
By Constantinos E. Scaros
NEW YORK – “A young boxer
is taken under the wing of a
mob boss after his mother dies
and his father is run out of town
for being an abusive alcoholic.”
That is the storyline, as IMDb
(the International Movie database) describes it, of Back in the
Day (BITD), a feature film set
to be released on May 20, written and produced by William
DeMeo, who stars in the leading
role as Anthony Rodriguez, with
cinematography by George Mitas.
The film features an all-star
cast, including Alec Baldwin,
Danny Glover, Michael Madsen,
and Shannen Doherty, along
with an array of actors who appeared on the iconic HBO Series
The Sopranos (DeMeo and
Borghese included) – such as
Lillo Brancato, Annabella
Sciorra, and Vincent Pastore –
and boxing legends announcer
Larry Merchant, heavyweight
champion Mike Tyson, and Roy
Jones, Jr. – who held the title in
four weight classes.
BEHIND THE LENS
Mitas became interested in
Feature film Back in the Day will open in theaters on May 20.
Director Paul Borghese describes Rodriguez on IMDb as
“a half-Italian half-Puerto Rican
teenager growing up on the
streets of Bensonhurst, then a
racist neighborhood filled with
bullies, big shots and social
clubs where all of the neighborhood shots were called. In spite
of the odds, he struggles to uphold the morals his mother
taught him and retain his dignity.”
photography as a teenager, and
the interest brought him to
NYU’s film school for his college
years. “I wasn’t satisfied with
the camerawork other students
brought me for some assigned
projects I had, so I started shooting my own projects. Everyone
liked my work, and so I started
shooting other students’ projects. And that’s how the career
aspiration in cinematography
developed.”
To the next generation of cinematographers, Mitas offers this
advice: “watch old movies, good
movies, and try to aspire to
mimic that image quality.”
He has developed a successful niche for mob films, which
he describes as “an outlet where
I can do creative work. A good
project is where it poses a challenge to me,” he says. But “I
must say that all films have challenges, regardless of genre.”
Having worked with DeMeo
and Borghese before, along with
several of the actors in BITD,
Mitas appreciates the benefits
of a prolonged working relationship. “I've worked with William
DeMeo quite often and we both
know what to expect from each
other. Sometimes there are issues on set, which would make
an actor who does not know me
feel insecure and how the scene
is being covered and if it's being
covered correctly. And because
William and I have gone
through many situations, he
knows if it's not done right I will
keep doing it until it's done
right. There's a great comfort
level I have working with
William.” And Borghese as well.
“The three of us have a great
relationship.”
DeMeo echoes those sentiments, describing Mitas as a
good friend and excellent at
what he does.
GREEK VALUES
Mitas is not particularly verbose, letting his camera do most
of his talking. But when it comes
to family and heritage, that is
when his passion to elaborate is
evident: “My mother was from
Crete and my father from
Cyprus,” says Mitas, and his
Greek upbringing “molded who
I am today. I had a very typical
strong Greek mother who raised
me to go to Church every Sunday. And my father wanted me
to go to a good college and
make something of myself,
preferably a doctor or a lawyer.
I laugh about it, I told him I was
the great disappointment, I
want to have a career as a Director of Photography.
“My father's love allowed me
to be whatever I wanted to be. I
can't thank him enough for that,
and I can't thank my mother
enough for teaching me what is
good in life. My mother was a
very devoted Greek Orthodox
Christian. Her teachings and devotion to God were an example
to me. My parents are no longer
here on earth, but I think of
George Mitas (L) and William DeMeo are longtime film industry colleagues.
them all the time. I am very
thankful for the mercy that God
has given me.”
Being Italian is not to different from being Greek, DeMeo
says, saying how much he loves
the Greek culture, and how
much support he has received
from the community. “Diner
owners have our movie poster
displayed – they’ve really shown
us a lot of support. They are
great people.”
AUTHENTICITY
DeMeo has played a number
of Italian gangster roles, and
he’s not the only one. Why do
we often see the same actors in
these types of movies? “There
aren’t as many around anymore,” DeMeo said, “because
the
neighborhoods
have
changed, times have changed.
It’s different now.” But authenticity is important. “A lot of
these guys that you see – Frank
Vincent, Vinnie Pastore, Lillo
Brancato, you see them in so
many movies playing the same
roles because they’re really good
at it. They are authentic. “Sometimes, you see professional Hollywood actors trying to create
an accent and they overdo it,
and you can tell.” (We discussed
how the same thing often happens when non-Greek actors
portraying a Greek character utter Greek words.)
The mob/boxing storyline
has been around for a long time.
What is the appeal? “Actually,
there aren’t that many” films
that combine both genres, DeMeo says, referencing Raging
Bull (1980) as one, compared
to which BITD “is different, but
in some ways, it’s similar.” There
is always a demand for mob
films. “Of gangsters of any nationality, but particularly Italian.” He points to the Sopranos’
overwhelming success as an example.
At first glance, one might attribute the fact that DeMeo’s son
Cristian has an important role
in the film, playing the young
version of Anthony, to nepotism.
“But that is not what happened
at all,” DeMeo says, pointing to
BITD’s Casting Director Judy
Henderson, who told him “I’m
going to be 100% honest with
you” if Cristian didn’t work out.
DeMeo completely agreed. “If
he wasn’t right for the part, I
might have found a very small
role for him,” one that wouldn’t
really have affected the film.
“But we did one day of casting
for that role, and then my son
came in the next day. He auditioned, and Judy said ‘we don’t
have to look any further. He was
excellent.’” And that, DeMeo
also attributes to authenticity.
“He’s been watching me and
mimicking me all his life, so he
knows my movements, my way
of saying things.”
Casting aside, DeMeo felt
such a powerful emotion watching his son in his first major role,
filming “in front of my mother’s
house, with all the neighbors
outside watching.”
RIP, TONY
DeMeo discussed the shock
of the sudden death of Sopranos
star James Gandolfini in 2013.
“I got a message saying ‘I’m
sorry about James,’ and I didn’t
know. That’s how I found out.
Those who knew James knew
what a great person he was, to
everyone. How he worked hard
to help actors with small roles
make those roles bigger.” Such
as DeMeo himself, who played
Jason Molinaro in the series.
In one scene, Jason, off camera, is mentioned by Tony and
Silvio (Steven Van Zandt), regarding the engraving on a
tombstone for a fallen mobster,
Joseph Pepparelli – Jason inadvertently had “Peeps” engraved
instead, after the mobster’s nickname, “Joey Peeps.”
“Jason did it, he’s dyslexic,”
Silvio said. “What’s that got to
do with it?” Tony barked back,
leaving Silvio speechless.
“I always tell actors, that’s
how your role, no matter how
small, lives on,” DeMeo says.
Jim Gianopulos: How He Took 20th Century Fox into the New Millennium
Continued from page 1
tional Herald, every day,'' Jim
Gianopulos said. He remembers
that they always spoke Greek in
the house. ''It was not until I
went to Kindergarten that I
spoke English on a regular basis.'' His father had an interesting approach. He told Gianopulos that “you will always be an
American but you have to be
Greek
first.”
Gianopulos’
mother, Maria, hailed from Constantinople.
Gianopulos went to law
school and his first inclination
was to specialize in admiralty
law, relevant to the family business. But he did not find it exciting and turned his attention
to entertainment law, as he had
great interest in music and film.
HOLLYWOOD
Was Gianopulos’ career goal
to become a CEO of a major studio? ''I think that goal is a little
too ambitious for anyone, it is a
gigantic feat to become a studio
head of one of the 6 historic studios in Hollywood.''
His first international position came as part of the joint
venture between Columbia Pictures and RCA. ''The video business was growing and they
needed someone to set up offices around the world.'' Then
came the Paramount Business
affairs position with responsibilities on Pay TV and film financing.
BRAVEHEART AND TITANIC
His next career step was with
International Distribution Department for Fox Studios. It was
at this position that Gianopulos
distinguished himself as an visionary leader, and he is associated with two Academy Awardwinning films, Braveheart and
Titanic, during his tenure there.
Braveheart was based on the
story of the Scottish rebel
William Wallace. The decision
to make the film about an unknown hero was based on Mel
Gibson's involvement, ''he said.
“Most people did not know the
story of Wallace, but because
they knew Mel Gibson we decided to proceed.'' The risk paid
off with five Academy Awards.
Titanic was an even bigger
risk. Not only had the movie
been done before, but also
everyone knew the story's ending. Again, one of the main reasons Gianopulos decided to proceed with the movie was talent.
This time, in filmmaker/director
James Cameron. The two knew
Jim Gianopulos, head of Fox
Filmed Entertainment.
each other since Cameron's Terminator film.
Titanic’s estimated budget of
$75 million, the highest at the
time, was another obstacle and
they decided to bring in Paramount as a partner to reduce
the risk. But an unusual
arrangement was made. Gianopulos said that ''when you
brought in a partner it was customary to offer them the film's
foreign rights. At the time the
majority of the revenue was
originating from the United
States. But we made a strategic
decision in 1992 that we needed
to expand to foreign markets.
Had we given away the foreign
rights it would had been contrary to the strategy we were
trying to establish. Thus Paramount got domestic and we retained foreign rights.'' The gamble paid off as Titanic was the
number one movie in every
country, grossing $.2 billion in
foreign receipts.
It also won 11 Academy
Awards tying for the most
awards won by a single film.
That shift in strategy has been
validated in a big way. Today almost 75% of box office receipts
come from abroad, up from
66% in 2010. Meanwhile the
U.S. market has remained stagnant the last 10 years. Titanic
was recently re-released in 3D
and collected $200 million of
which $140 million came from
the Chinese market.
AVATAR
Another incredible success at
Fox is the epic science fiction
film Avatar, praised for its
groundbreaking special effects.
Exceeding $2 billion in gross receipts, it became the highestgrossing movie of all time. Following
Avatar’s
success,
Cameron signed a deal for three
sequels, with Avatar 2 expected
to be released next year. “In order for a sequel to be successful
you need to take the elements
that worked from the original
movie, but you have to take it
to a different place. Introducing
new characters and new ideas
will give a fresh perspective,”
Gianopulos said.”
GREECE’S CRISIS
Regarding Greece’s financial
crisis, which is on Gianopulos’
mind, he told TNH that:
“Greece's entrance in the EU
presented a tremendous opportunity, but at the same time it
was its Achilles' hell. The availability of funds gave opportunities for investment, and at the
same time consumer loans became available very easily and
people used it them improve
their living conditions. But they
borrowed at much higher levels,
that they were not sustainable
in the long run. The Greek crisis
shares a lot of similarities with
the mortgage crisis in the United
States.''
The film industry in Greece
is going through a crisis as well,
and the lack of tax incentives is
deterring foreign production
companies from filming there.
The lack of facilities’ infrastructure it is also problematic.
Should Greece invest in building
infrastructure?
Gianopulos'
opinion is ''that the capital
needed to attract film productions on a regular basis is probably not feasible for Greece.
Greek filmmakers are very talented and with the proper support they can definitely increase
their productivity significantly.
My recommendation is for
Greece to invest in technology
startups. Video games, special
effects, and computer science
are all areas that do not need
the huge capital needed for traditional filmmaking. And some
of the technologies can be
adopted by other industries.''
SECRETS OF SUCCESS
What qualities does Gianopulos believe are needed to
achieve and sustain great success? ''A leader has to have the
humility to recognize that he
cannot achieve greatness by
himself and that he needs to assemble a very talented team of
executives around him. Also
very important is to have great
relations with talent in front and
behind the camera. And as a
leader, you should set an example to your employees with your
work ethic. It is essential that
your employees embrace the
company's vision.''
Because there is no formula
to create a great movie, it is essential to ''take risks and not to
be afraid to fail. But do not
make the same mistake too often.''
Where does Jim Gianopulos
go from here? “''I want to keep
creating great movies and follow honorable business practices doing so.”
ABOVE: Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet starred in Titanic, by Gianopoulos’ Fox studio, a
tremendous success at the box office and at the Oscars. BELOW: Gianopulos’ vision brought
Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson (see here), to audiences throughout the world.
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 14-20, 2016
FEATURE
7
HISTORICAL COMMENTARY
Elizabeth Virginia Dimitry Ruth: Writer Missing from Greek-Am History
By Steve Frangos
dominant culture ignores them.
Unsatisfied they write and document their own family histories. I have been astonished with
how Facebook has come to serve
as a unifying forum for the extended Dimitry/Dragon families
not only as a source for providing detailed history from one individual or branch may possess
but also as a highly successful
venue to raise funds to care for
ancestral gravesites.
TNH Staff Writer
CHICAGO- Elizabeth Virginia
Dimitry Ruth is something of a
missing figure in Greek-American historical accounts. As a
member of one of the first
prominent Greek families in the
United States, the extended
Dimitry/Dragon families, Elizabeth Ruth does see passing mention in survey accounts. But,
“ah there’s the rub,” as they say,
this is exactly the problem--Ruth
is only mentioned in passing.
While Ruth is continuously described by contemporary writers
as among the first professional
women writers who published
at least one novel and one book
of poetry (each to critical acclaim), one would have thought,
by now, she would have already
been the subject of a dissertation or an extended journal article dealing with her as a neglected but in truth notable
Southern women writer. This is
far from the case.
Exploring the life of Ruth
also takes us into an area only
now beginning to be revealed
the ultimate passing of GreekAmerican communities as selfidentified cohesive entities. For
the most recently arrived Hellenes, business men and academics mostly, this day has long
come and gone. While the denial of one group of Greeks with
Hellenic identify by another selfidentifying group of Greeks is
an old game among us it is now
beginning to take on new force.
And in this period of church
100th anniversary church historical volumes, communitybased genealogical societies and
the growing establishment of
archival rooms in churches
across the nation and even the
construction of museum buildings this thought is not one easily accepted. Egoism, boosterism, and the dread Greeks feel
at revealing themselves to all
perceived outsiders prevents
this thought from being considered. Nonetheless it is still the
Elizabeth’s father, Alexander Dimitry, was one of the earliest
Greeks to serve in the American government. He was sent to
Central America as a Minister by President James Buchanan
(seen above). RIGHT: Elizabeth Virginia Dimitry Ruth comes
from good writer stock. Her father, Prof. Alexander Dimitry,
was a prolific writer as well.
case that there are fewer selfidentified Greeks attending
specifically Greek events and organizations than at any time
since the mass migration of the
1880 to 1920 era. Ignoring what
is happening will not make it go
away.
Unexpectedly, “who were the
Greeks in North America” is the
question slowly entering the
common gaze. Families long
considered as Greek in American historical accounts such as
those from the New Smyrna
Colony,
the
extended
Dimitry/Dragon families, or the
Colvocoresses have all slowly
faded from the consciousness of
Greeks of the massive waves of
immigration. Gone are the days
when AHEPA conventions, of
say the 1940s, would host descendants of the Dimitry or
Colvocoresses families to speak
about their ancestors’ trials and
accomplishments.
And just like some natural
law of science as the Greeks descended from the 1880 to 1920
era (and even more so those of
the post -World War II) have forgotten, these earlier Greek arrivals to American shores so
have the descendants of those
persons come forward—in ever
greater numbers---to publically
assert their own Greek heritage.
New publications and the social
aspects of the Internet have
each in their own way come to
serve a new dynamic where the
average person realizes the historical accounts offered by the
So how does all this involve
Elizabeth Ruth? As one of those
long-ago Hellenes, Ruth’s life
can service as a cautionary tale
of what we may expect from future historians concerning our
own ultimate place within
Greek-American history.
Andrea Drussakis Dimitry
(1775-1852), a native of Hydra,
was a veteran of the War of
1812 and the Battle of New Orleans. He is buried in the tomb
together with his wife MarieAnne-Celeste Dragon (17771856), the daughter of Greekborn Miguel (Michel) Dragon
(1739-1821) and Marie-Francoise Chauvin Beaulieu de
Montplaisir
(1755-1822).
Alexander Dimitry (1805-1883),
son of Andrea and Marie-Anne
is buried in a different location
within the same St. Louis No. 1
cemetery.
Professor Alexander Dimitry
was one of the most distinguished intellectuals of his day.
Over the course of his life Dimitry was an American diplomat,
linguist and scholar. Dimitry was
fluent in classical Greek and
Latin. He spoke English, French,
Greek, Italian, and Spanish. He
graduated with distinction from
the college, Georgetown College, DC. In 1842 he established
the St. Charles Institute in
Louisiana, which he headed as
the first state superintendent of
public education in 1847. During his period as superintendent
(1847–1851) he organized
Louisiana’s public school system.
In 1854, Dimitry was a translator in the U.S. Department of
State; in 1859 he was sent as
Minister to Central America by
President James Buchanan.
Alexander Dimitry met and
married Mary Powell Mills Dimitry (1816-1894) in Washington
DC. Mills came from a family
with lineage to the oldest colonial settlers in the nation. Her
father Robert Mills (17811855), among many other accomplishments was the designer
of the Washington Monument.
Born, according to her tombstone, on September 21, 1839,
Elizabeth was known among her
many brothers, sisters and close
family friends as Eliza. By virtue
of her birth and family’s social
standing Eliza Dimitry associated with the most respected citizens of what was then called
Washington City. On December
31, 1856, when no more than
seventeen, Eliza married Enoch
Fenwick Ruth. Ruth, who had
commanded an Arkansas company in the Mexican War, obtained the rank of Captain and
later became Commissioner of
Indian Affairs. During their
eleven year marriage the Ruth’s
had four children: Elizabeth
Dimitry Ruth, Genevieve Dimitry Ruth, Margaret "Madge"
Ruth, and Fenwick Dimitry
Ruth. In 1867, Captain Ruth
died in Washington, DC.
After the death of her husband, Eliza Ruth settled in New
Orleans. While the prospects for
a widow in this era were grave
Ruth established and for many
years kept a flourishing private
school for boys and girls. Supplemental to her school duties
Ruth became one of the pioneer
professional women writers in
North America, writing under
the name of Virginia Dimitry
Ruth. By all available accounts
Ruth proved to be an energetic
contributor to Southern literature in prose and verse writing
regularly for the national press
as well as seeing her works of
fiction and poetry published to
wide acceptance. In this regard
various accounts frequently couple Ruth along with her brothers, fellow writers (and unlike
herself editors of magazines)
John Bull Smith Dimitry (18351901), Thomas Dabney Dimitry
(1850-1936) and Charles Patton
Dimitry (1837-1910) whose
novel The House on Balfour
Street (New York 1868) saw numerous editions.
Elizabeth Virginia Dimitry
Ruth died on September 22,
1891, on her son-in-law’s plantation in Carencro, Lafayette
Parish, Louisiana. Elizabeth Ruth
was buried at the Saint Peter
Catholic Cemetery in Carencro.
Elizabeth Ruth’s live has
many lessons to teach. Of how
the prejudices of a particular
time period can hide notable individuals. It goes well beyond
women of one era being largely
ignored by the male writing
class. How did she perceive herself? What did she in fact write?
The lives of these earlier Greek
arrivals to American shores now
seem to bear portents to our
own fate as real Greeks from
Greece down-grade us to useto-have-been persons of some
Hellenic descent. How will the
future understand us? Who will
tell our tales?
[email protected]
HISTORY
Turkish Reactions to the Asia Minor Deportations in 1922
By Stavros T. Stavridis
The Turkish reactions in Angora (Ankara) to the Mark
Ward/Forest Yowell eyewitness
testimony was one of hostility
and tried to dismiss such claims
as lies and fabrications that
were designed to cast Turkey in
a damaging light in Europe and
the United States. However,
Turkish opinion in Constantinople was divided due to the allied
occupation of that city.
The Turks responded by dismissing the atrocity stories as
lies, distortions, and fabrications
that were intended to depict
Turkey in a negative light. Angora used the press as part of
its strategy to dismiss the claims
of Ward and Yowell. This was
part of the denial tactics exercised by the perpetrator.
The Anatolian News Agency
published an article on May 20,
1922, trying to expose Yowell's
allegations of atrocities in Anatolia as "lies." It continued that
"the accusations against the Angora Government for mistreatment of Christians in Anatolia
have proven to be baseless on
the investigation made by Americans who travelled in Asia Minor." In order to lend credibility
to its news story, the Anatolian
News Agency quoted Americans
such as Florence Billings, an official of the Near East Relief
(NER), and its Director H.C.
Jacquith, who was visiting Angora at this time, who dismissed
Yowell's statement as being
baseless. It was also critical of
Lord George Curzon, the British
Foreign Secretary 1919-24, in
believing such statements and
creating commissions of enquiry
to be sent to Anatolia. It concluded, "We are glad to hear
that America has refused to participate in Curzon's plan."
The Angora newspaper
Hakimet-I-Mille's editorial titled
"England and Us" published on
May 22 was strongly anti-British
accusing Britain of trying "to
strangle [Turkey] and to [put]
an end to our existence." It concluded, "We are said to have
massacred the Christians in
Anatolia. This new comedy put
to scene by Lord Curzon." The
plight and suffering of deported
people into the Anatolian interior could hardly be described
as a comical scene.
The so-called Turkish Orthodox Church and Catholic Christian Communities protested to
Papa Efthim Effendi and U.S.
High Commission regarding
Yowell's allegation of Christian
persecution in Asia Minor. In the
latter case, the Catholic Christian Communities stated that
they lived "in perfect security in
The Christian population on the Smyrna quay. September, 1922.
the bosom of justice of the Anatolian Turk" and "the Orthodox
Christians of Anatolia are
treated with the greatest courtesy, their lives and securities
are assured by the Angora Government."
On the other hand, the Turkish Orthodox Church described
Yowell's assertions as "lies and
slander against our national
government." They argued that
the "Pontus incident cannot be
concealed. The uprisers went to
the mountains, revolted against
our Government and pillaged
our villages." There is no doubt
that such public statements on
the part of the Turkish Christians were part of Angora's propaganda campaign to deflect
criticism away from itself by
shifting the blame onto the
Greeks. It can also be argued
that the creation of the Turkish
Orthodox Church was a political
weapon that the Kemalists could
use to undermine the authority
of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
of Constantinople.
Fethi Bey, the Minister of Interior in the Angora Government, explained to a correspondent of the Anatolian News
Agency, that Yowell and Ward
were asked to leave because
they "spread lies about Turkey."
Fethi Bey's remarks were intended to create an impression
in western capitals that Turkey
was treating its minorities with
kindness and justice.
He gave a few examples that:
(1) "Christian men are never put
to prison without legal cause.
Prison registers refute lies of this
kind." (2) "Christian women are
not employed in Moslem houses
against their will. These lies are
spread about to picture the
Turks as mean people." (3)
"Greeks were deported into the
interior in good order have been
left free." He concluded that
Yowell had a personal grudge
against Turkey by helping to
spread lies about "persecutions
of the Christians."
The Kemalist Interior Minister, Fethi Bey was a very good
spin doctor. The idea that Christian men were never incarcerated "without legal cause" and
that "prison registers refute lies
of this kind" would have been
very difficult to prove, as the
Angora Government had refused the proposed inter-allied
commissions of inquiry to enter
its territory. There was a lot of
debate in the League of Nations
in 1921-22 concerning the deportation of women and children in the Near East. In fact, a
Commission of Enquiry appointed by the Council of the
League of Nations in February
1921 experienced difficulties in
reclaiming deported women
and children held in Moslem
households in Turkey.
On November 26, 1921,
Monsignor Nicholas, Archbishop
of Caesarea and Locum Tenens
of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,
appealed to the League of Nations requesting that it take the
necessary measures to protect
the Greeks from Turkish
reprisals. No assistance was
forthcoming from the League of
Nations or Great Powers.
Fethi Bey stated the "Greeks
…deported into the interior in
good order have been left free"
requires a brief explanation.
Many Greek men , women and
children deported from Pontus
died from " starvation, exposure,
typhus and dysentery," These
poor wretched souls were denied warm clothing and food
and no wonder why they were
"left free" to die.
The Turkish press in Constantinople responded to the
atrocities and proposed commission of inquiry to Anatolia. Rumbold, the British High Commissioner in Constantinople,
informed Curzon that the position of the Turkish press varied
in its coverage regarding the
proposed commissions of enquiry. Some Turkish journalists
believed that Angora had nothing to hide and would "welcome
[an] enquiry provided it is properly conducted, and provided
the same treatment is given to
Turks and Greeks." There were
those who considered the proposed allied commission as "an
illegitimate interference with
Turkey's internal affairs." The
editor of Wakt newspaper stated
that Turkey was at war with 3
of the powers and suggested
that "if any enquiry, at all is necessary, it should be carried out
by the Americans only."
What is interesting that according to Rumbold that the
French authorities in Constantinople gave greater latitude to
the local Turkish press to attack
Britain, at the time of strict press
censorship in the Sultan's Capital. Rumbold told General Pelle,
the French High Commissioner,
that while the Turks was given
some latitude, it would be fair
if the Greek press too was offered the opportunity to respond
to the Turkish press. Pelle consented to Rumbold's views.
In conclusion, the Kemalists
used the press as a political tool
Lord George Curzon, of whom
the Turkish press was critical
for believing the Ward/Yowell
testimony.
in their propaganda campaign
to try to refute Ward/Yowell's
eye-witness testimony. Again the
Great Powers failed to assist the
Greeks of Pontus in their hour
of need.
Stavros T. Stavridis is a
historical author, history professor, and historical consultant.
Law Firm
G. Dimitriadis & Associates
our company aims to provide high quality services, adapted to the
specific needs of our clients.
the main areas of our activities include:
• Legal services
• Financial managerial services
• Real Estate
our wide network of contacts in Greece guarantees the immediate
and unified handling of our clients’ matters.
Phone: 01130 210 3390080 • Cell.: 01130 6977 469888
Fax: 01130 210 3390044
e-mail: [email protected]
www.dimitriadislawfirm.gr
OBITUARIES CLASSIFIEDS
8
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 14-20, 2016
DEATH NOTICES
n COULOURAS, ELAINE
LOWELL, MA (from the Lowell
Sun, published on May 6) –
LOWELL -- Mrs. Elaine (Mitsios)
Coulouras, 94, passed away
Tuesday, May 3rd, at Wingate
at Belvidere. Elaine was born
July 20, 1921 in Lowell, Massachusetts, a daughter of the late
Kostandinos and Stavroula
(Frangou) Mitsios. Loving wife
to the late Attorney Peter James
Coulouras who passed in August
of 1972. A lifelong resident of
Lowell, Elaine moved to
Messinikola, Greece at an early
age with her parents and returned back to the United States
making Lowell her home. Prior
to her retirement, she was employed by Laganas Garment
Manaufacturing as a seamstress
and a presser. She was a member of the St George Greek Orthodox Church of Lowell and a
very active member with the
church's Ladies Philoptochos Society. Her greatest joy was being
with her family and working in
her garden. Elaine's family
would like to thank the staff at
Wingate at Belvidere and Beacon Hospice for the professional
care their mother received from
both facilities. Elaine is survived
by three sons, James and his fiancée, Michaele, Charlie and his
wife, Joann, Ernest and his wife,
Voula; a brother, Louis Mitsios
and his wife, Helen, a sister,
Madeline Yanas, her grandchildren, Kristen, Anthony, Peter,
Eleni, Kiki Coulouras and Kimberly Galloway; also her two
great-grandchildren, Dylan and
Kaiden; her brothers-in-law,
John Contos, Rev. Ernest "Anastasios" Coulouras and his wife
Helen; two sisters-in-law, Kay
Coulouras and Carleen Gavin;
her nieces, Connie Hantzis and
Ann Spanos who helped and
kept her company many days as
well as many additional nieces
and nephews. Elaine was predeceased by her sisters, Maria
Kontos, Aphrodite Gavriel and
a brother, James Mitsios. Relatives and friends will be received
at the M.R. Laurin Funeral
Home, 295 Pawtucket St., Lowell on Friday, May 6th from 4:00
pm to 8:00 pm. Her funeral will
take place on Saturday at 9 am
at the Funeral Home to be followed by a service at St George
Greek Orthodox Church in Lowell at 10:00 am. Interment will
follow in Westlawn Cemetery. In
lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in her memory to St. George Church, 44
Princeton Blvd., Lowell, MA
01851 or to Beacon Hospice,
529 Main St. Suite 101,
Charlestown, Ma. 02129. Funeral arrangements under the
direction of directors, Louis M.
Fazio III, M. Richard Laurin, and
Scott Laurin. For condolences or
directions, please go to
www.laurinfuneralhome.com.
n DIAMANTIDIS, ARETI
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (from the
Indianapolis Star, published on
Apr. 20) – Areti peacefully
passed away on Monday, April
18, 2016. She was born on December 10, 1925 in Maheri,
Apokoronou, Chania on the island of Crete in Greece, to Ioani
and Ekaterini Milonaki. Areti
moved to Athens from Chania,
Crete in her early twenties
where she met and married her
husband, Iordani. They spent
the next seventeen years there
raising their two daughters. In
July of 1965, they immigrated
to the United States, specifically
to Indianapolis, Indiana. Areti
worked as a men's alteration
seamstress at L.S. Strauss &
Company for twenty five years.
She was very talented in anything and everything she did.
She loved to cook and bake for
her family and friends. She
sewed her own clothes most of
her life and also her children's
when they were young. She
knitted, crocheted lace in many
patterns along with completing
many needlework wall hangings
for her children and grandchildren. She also enjoyed gardening every summer and had quite
the green thumb. Areti loved
God, her church, and her family.
She was a giver and gave unselfishly to all who needed her.
She was extremely polite,
thoughtful and loved everyone.
The oldest of five children, she
is survived by her daughters
Eleni (John) Vogas and Kathy
Diamantidis, three grand-children, Angelo Vogas, Aretoula
(Amer) Nahas, Donny (Laura)
Vogas and three great grandchildren Eleni Alexa, Yanni and Zoe
and her brother in Greece, Andreas. She was preceded in
death by her husband in 1999,
two brothers and her sister in
Greece. Visitation will be on
Thursday, April 21, 2015 from
4:00 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church,
3500 W. 106th Street, Carmel,
IN 46032. A Trisagion service
will be at 7 p.m. Funeral serDays and dates of funerals,
memorials, and other events directly correspond to the original
publication date, which appears
at the beginning of each notice.
vices will be held at Holy Trinity
on Friday, April 22, 2015 at 11
a.m., with calling from 10 a.m.
till the time of the service. Burial
will follow at Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, In with
memorial luncheon to follow at
Holy Trinity Founder's Lounge.
Memorial contribution may be
made to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. Arrangements
entrusted to Flanner and
Buchanan-Broad Ripple. Online
condolencers and a video tribute may be shared at www.flannerbuchanan.com.
n DUKAS, NOTA
WILIMINGTON, NC (from the
Wilmington Star-News, published on Apr. 23) – Nota Z.
Dukas, 79, of Wilmington, NC,
fell asleep in the Lord on April
20, 2016. She was born in
Athens, Greece, on November
21, 1936, the daughter of the
late Konstantinos Zafirakopoulos and Despina Kazaglis. Also
remembered is her stepfather,
Demetrios Kazaglis, who preceded her in death. Surviving
are three daughters, Antonia
Ioannou and husband Yiannis,
Debbie Dias and husband Tony,
and Christina Wetherington and
husband Mickey; the loving father of their three children,
Kostas Dukas; seven grandchildren, Lexi Dias, Christian Dias,
Helena Ioannou, Dino Ioannou,
Dimitri Ioannou, Niko Wetherington and Christopher Wetherington; one sister, Maria Lekas
and her husband Tommy and
their children, Anastasia Hays
and Despina Sayegh. Nota was
born in Athens, Greece where
her love of music and dance began. Even her namesake, when
at age 4, her incessant whistling
prompted her stepfather to call
her "Nota", the Greek word for
musical "note". At age 20, Nota
met and was swept off her feet
by her handsome Greek-American US Soldier, Kostas, stationed
in Germany. After a beautiful
courtship, they married in
Athens and moved to New York
City and began raising their 3
loving daughters. In 1973, the
family moved to Wilmington
where Nota immediately began
a life-long involvement with the
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox
Church and as a restaurateur in
the Wilmington community.
Nota and her husband owned
and operated White Front
Breakfast House and built and
operated the MacCumber Station Restaurant. Nota's love for
Greek dance and music flourished and eventually that passion led to the formation of the
St. Nicholas Dance Program in
2000. More than a dozen Hellenic Dance Festival (HDF)
Competitions and St. Nicholas
Greek Festivals later, this dance
program is still a staple in the
Wilmington Community. Indeed
her stunning costume creations
garnered 4 Best Costume
Awards given by the Atlanta Metropolis HDF. What once began
as a passion for hand-stitching
matching outfits for her young
daughters, became Nota's cherished and prized role as costume
designer for her beloved St.
Nicholas youth dancers. But it
did not stop there, her role blossomed into a deep and loving
relationship with so many of
these youth who adored their
"Miss Nota" or, as she was wellknown across the nation's
Southeastern HDF Community,
"the Costume Lady from Wilmington". This love for the St.
Nicholas dance youth was only
surpassed by her adoration of
her grandchildren. You had only
to mention one of their names
to see the light and love shine
in Nota's face. She will be
deeply missed and her memory
held dear by all of her family,
children and grandchildren. In
lieu of flowers, donations in
Nota's memory may be made to
St. Nicholas Dance Program,
608 S. College Road, Wilmington, NC 28403 or Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at
www2.jdrf.com
n LEGAKIS, BARBARA
SCARSDALE, NY (from the
Journal News, published on
May 1) – arbara Heebner
Legakis, wife of Kimon A.
Legakis of Vravrona, Greece,
died on March 5, 2016 at the
age of 87 in her home in Scarsdale, New York. The cause of
her death was cancer. Her husband, Kimon, predeceased her
in June of 2014. Barbara was
born in Bryn Mawr, PA. Her
childhood was spent in Winwood, PA, where she grew up
with an older sister, Natalie M.
Heebner, and two younger
brothers, Henry R. Heebner and
Charles Heebner. A graduate of
the Shipley School and Smith
College (1950), Barbara also
earned a Masters in Education
from Temple University, in
Philadelphia, PA. An elementary
school teacher for over 45 years
she taught at Chestnut Hill
Academy (Philadelphia, PA),
Shady Hill School (Cambridge,
MA), and Sidwell Friends
(Washington, DC) before coming to the Edgemont school district in Scarsdale, New York
where she stayed for 33 years.
An extremely dedicated teacher,
Barbara loved watching her children learn and grow, enjoyed
training teachers, and helping
hearing-impaired children. She
kept contact with many students
for years. Barbara served diligently in every organization she
joined. She was a member of
Hitchcock Presbyterian Church
in Scarsdale, New York, acting
as a deacon and volunteering in
their Living in America program, a weekly English conversation program for international
adults. As a member of The
Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, (Pi Chapter President for 4 terms) she was committed for Native American
Grants, Travel & Study, Personal
Growth & Services and World
Fellowship. She also served as
President of the Edgemont
Teachers Association. Barbara
always loved sports and had a
passion for ice-skating. She was
a member of the United States
Figure Skating Association, as
well as the Phildelphia Skating
Club & Humane Society. Moreover, Barbara served as a USFSA
judge in figure and dance. As a
participant in the Experiment in
International Living, Inc., now
World Learning, Inc., she led numerous groups abroad, during
which she met her husband of
55 years in Greece. Together
they shared a bicultural life with
houses in Scarsdale, New York
and Vravrona, Greece along
with their many animals, including their dogs and a parrot
named Memnon. Barbara will
be remembered for her passion
for teaching, and abiding interest in Ancient Greek mythology
and ice-skating (and her enthusiasm for all sports) as well as
her willingness to help those in
need. Barbara was a true friend,
a wonderful wife and an amazing aunt. Her jovial spirit, zest
for life, gift of conversation, colorful stories, and contagious
laugh will live on in all those
whose lives she touched. She is
survived by four nieces and a
nephew: Emily Baker, Elizabeth
Halliday, Alexandra O'Dell, her
godchild, Susan Cushman, and
Robert Glen. A memorial service
will be held Friday, May 6, at
3:30pm at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church, 6 Greenacres Avenue, Scarsdale, NY, followed
by a reception.
n MAGERAS, ANGELO H.
WILLIAMSBURG, VA (from the
Virginia Gazette, published on
Apr. 27) – Angelo H. Mageras,
84 a native of Karpenisi, Greece,
died April 22,2016 at Sentara
Norfolk General Hospital. Mr.
Mageras was also known as "Mr.
Williamsburg" by friends as well
as his colleagues nationwide. He
was one of the first to realize
the growth potential of
Williamsburg in the 1960's and
became one of the best known
entrepreneurs in the city. He displayed unparalleled vision and
was an overly optimistic believer on the good side of human nature. Survivors include
his devoted wife of 56 years,
Nickie Kokolis Mageras; two
daughters: Georgia Salih and
husband Hassen, Demetra
Floropoulou and husband
Thano, 2 sons: Bobby and Mario
Mageras; 7 grandchildren;
Emmy, Spyro, Nickie, Yianni,
Vangeli, Omar, Nicole and her
husband Vasili Michael; 1 greatgranddaughter: Georgia; in addition to a host of nieces,
nephews and cousins to include
a very special cousin Anna and
her daughter Zena Mageras. A
funeral service conducted by the
Reverend George Chioros, will
be held 11:00 a.m., Thursday
April 28, 2016 at Saint Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox
Church, 60 Traverse Road, Newport News VA 23606. Interment
will follow in Williamsburg
Memorial Park Cemetery, 130
King William Drive, Williamsburg, VA 23188. The family will
receive friends Wednesday April
27, 2016 at Bucktrout Funeral
Home, Williamsburg from 4:00
until 6:00 p.m. with Trisagion
Service at 5:00 p.m. The family
request contributions be made
to Saint Constantine and Helen
Greek Orthodox Church, 60 Traverse Road, Newport News, VA
23606.
n PANTOS, SPYRIDON
TARPON SPRINGS, FL (from the
Worcester Telegram & Gazette,
published on Apr. 14) – Spyridon Pantos, 92, formerly of
Worcester, passed away on Friday, April 1, 2016 in Tarpon
Springs, Florida. His wife of 42
years, Catherine (Rizou) Pantos,
died in 2001. He leaves his two
sons, Michael S. Pantos and his
wife, Ann Marie of Rutland and
Teddy Pantos of Tarpon Springs,
FL; four sisters, Elli PantosKiostigianni DMD, Georgia Pantos-Sakogianni MD both of
Athens, Kleri Litsis of Tirana, Albania and Andigoni Koumanelis
of Worcester; two grandchildren, Michael and Megan Pantos of Rutland. A sister, Athena
Bakalis of Athens predeceased
him 2008. Born in Sotira, Northern Epirius (now Albania), Spiro
was the son of Michael and
Theodora (Kostakis) Pantos and
lived in Athens, Greece for many
years. He married the love of
CLASSIFIEDS
his life, Catherine Rizou of
Athens, and sojourned to the
United States with his family in
1967 and resided for many
years on Nevada Street in
Worcester. Spiro was mechanically minded and worked many
years as a mechanic for the
Worcester Bus Co. and later the
Worcester Regional Transit Authority before his retirement. He
was a former member of Saint
Spyridon Greek Orthodox
Cathedral in Worcester. Spiro
was proud of his boys and
looked forward to spending
time with them on Saturday
mornings working on their family cars. He had an affinity to
the ocean and in 1988 bought a
summer cottage in Middletown,
Rhode Island where his family
could vacation. He was proud
of his Greek heritage and enjoyed dancing with his wife at
local dances and attending
Greek Festivals. Relatives and
friends are invited to visit with
Spiro's family from 5 to 7 pm
on Friday, April 15, with a Trisagion service to be held at
5:45pm at the Miles Funeral
Home, 1158 Main St., Holden.
Funeral services will be held at
8:30am, Saturday April 16 at
Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox
Cathedral on 102 Russell Street,
Worcester. Burial will be private
in Fall River. In lieu of flowers,
memorial donations may be
made to the Bay Path Educational Foundation Scholarship
Fund, c/o Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School,
57 Old Muggett Hill Rd., Charlton, MA 01507.
n PANTELIDIS, DR. P. KIRK
YORK, PA (from the York Dispatch, published on Apr. 29) –
Pandelis Kyriakos Pandelidis,
MD, aka Kirk Pandelidis, has
completed his mortal journey.
We know it continues in the
Kingdom of God. It began when
he was born in Athens, Greece
on Feb. 12, 1927. He continued
an Odyssey started by his parents, Kyriakos and Eutychia Pandelidis, who were refugees from
Asia Minor (modern day
Turkey) who fled persecution
and emigrated to Greece in the
early part of the last century. His
story is not that of a Greek
tragedy, but rather that of a
Greek triumph ending in the accomplishment of the American
dream. As opposed to a tragic
flaw, he instead possessed a
blessed trait: unadulterated ambition to make sure that he and
his future American family
would prosper. He was the first
in his family to attend high
school. By virtue of his performance on a national exam at
the age of eighteen, he was admitted to a 6 year program
where he was awarded a college
degree as well as a medical degree from the University of
Athens, the premier medical
school in Greece. Soon thereafter, he served with distinction
as a general medical officer in
the Greek Army, which helped
keep peace in a troubled country soon after a brutal civil war
between the communists and
those favoring democracy. The
communists lost! Somehow he
balanced those duties with a
small private internal medicine
practice in Athens. Recognizing
that opportunity lay across the
Atlantic, he sought further medical training in the United
States. He began his education
as an intern in New Orleans at
the Touro infirmary. He selected
New Orleans, hoping a knowledge of French would help him
as he continued to perfect his
English skills. Somehow, word
got out that there was an eligible Greek doctor newly arrived
in America, and through a network of Greek-Americans, he
was introduced to a full-blooded
first generation lovely GreekAmerican from York, Pa., Angela
Langadinos, a pharmacist who
would ultimately become his
wife for nearly 60 years. Once
married, Angela was at his side
helping navigate in his new
country as he completed a Psychiatry residency in Taunton,
Massachusetts, and at the Middlebury State Hospital in Connecticut as well as additional fellowship training at Jefferson
University in Philadelphia. He
excelled academically, publishing papers in national professional journals. He was offered
a job as an Associate Professor
at West Virginia University, but
thought he could do more good
as a community Psychiatrist in
Angela's hometown. Knowing
that success was the only option, he moved to York, and
thanks to the encouragement of
Angie and her father, he did not
hesitate to buy the building at
826 S. George St.. The third
floor was rented for additional
income. The family lived on the
second floor, and his private
practice office was on the first
floor. All the while, he started a
family, and they all survive him
as does Angela. Both parents set
an example of hard work, scholarship, and faith. Not only did
the first generation of the Pandelidis clan continue the tradition of higher education set by
Kirk, but so does the third as
there are already doctors, med-
LEGAL NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of formation HEMPSTEAD ROAD
LLC (DOM. LLC). Articles of Organization
filed with the Secretary of State of New
York, SSNY on 10/15/2015. Office located in
Kings County. SSNY has been designated for
service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of
any process served against the LLC to: THE
LLC, 1332 43rd Street, Brooklyn, NY 11219.
Purpose: Any lawful activity.
275187/19984
Notice of formation of YOUNG MINDS @ PLAY,
LLC. (a domestic LLC). Articles of Organization
filed with the Secretary of State of New York
(SSNY) on 2/01/2016. Office location: Kings
County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom
process against the LLC may be served. SSNY
shall mail process to: c/o United States
Corporation Agents, Inc., 7014 13th Avenue,
Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
275135/19945
LEGAL NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of formation B & D DREAM
HOMES IMPOVEMENT LLC. (DOM. LLC).
Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York, SSNY on
08/21/2015. Office located in King County.
SSNY has been designated for service of
process. SSNY shall mail copy of any process
served against the LLC to: Jacqueline
Johnson, 102-12 Avenue K, 2nd Floor,
Brooklyn, NY 11236. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
275186/19983
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of formation PAJARITO PRODUCTIONS,
LLC. (DOM. LLC). Articles of Organization filed
with the Secretary of State of New York,
SSNY on 02/16/2016. Office located in Kings
County. SSNY has been designated for service
of process. SSNY shall mail copy of any process
served against the LLC to: c/o United States Corporation, 7014 13th Avenue, Suite 202,
Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
275185/19982
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of formation CHAT & CHANGE
COUNSELING SERVICES LLC (DOM. LLC).
Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York, SSNY on
Office located in Nassau
01/11/2016.
County. SSNY has been designated for
service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of
any process served against the LLC to: 615
Broadway, Unite 31, Amityville, New York
11701. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
275184/19981
Notice of formation of D’ARRIGO 121-123 LLC
a domestic LLC. Articles of Organization filed
with the Secretary of State of New York
(SSNY) on 03/24/2016. Office location: Kings
County. SSNY is designated as agent upon
whom process against the LLC may be served.
SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Francesco
D’Arrigo, 2122 Maple Street, Baldwin, NY
11510. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
275134/19944
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of formation of MCINTYRE &
RICHARDS, LLC ( DOM LLC) . Articles of
Organization filed with the Secretary of State
of New York (SSNY) on 12/01/2015. Office
location: Kings County. SSNY is designated as
agent upon whom process against the LLC may
be served. c/o United States Corporation Agents,
7014 13th Avenue, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY
11228. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
275133/19943
LEGAL NOTICE
Presto Packaging Solutions LLC. App for
Auth filed w/ SSNY 3/30/16. Formed in IL
1/15/15. Office in NY Co. SSNY designated
for process and shall mail to: 165 Broadway
Ste. 2311, NY, NY 10006. Auth Officer:
SSIL, 213 State Capitol, Springfield, IL
62756. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
275127/18796
LEGAL NOTICE
Allegory Story LLC. Art. of Org. filed w/
SSNY 4/20/16. Office in NY Co. SSNY
designated for service of process and shall
mail to Reg. Agent: Thomas Law Firm
PLLC, 175 Varick St, NY, NY 10014. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
275152/18796
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of Formation of PROSPECT GROUP
REALTY LLC (DOM. LLC) Articles of Organization filed with SSNY on 04/25/2016.
Office location: Kings County. SSNY is designated for service of process and shall mail
to: THE LLC, 1329 65th Street, Brooklyn,
NY 11219. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
LEGAL NOTICE
Osakana, LLC. Art. of Org. filed w/ SSNY
3/15/16. Office in Kings Co. SSNY
designated for service of process and shall
mail to Reg. Agent: U.S. Corp. Agents, Inc,
7014 13th Ave. Ste. 202, Brooklyn, NY
11228. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
275183/19980
275126/18796
LEGAL NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of Formation of 7722 BZHL LLC
(DOM. LLC). Articles of Organization
filed with SSNY on 04/19/2016. Office
SSNY is
location: Kings County.
designated for service of process and shall
mail to: The LLC.,7722 BZHL LLC, 7722
18th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
11214.
Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of DIAGONAL GRID
FILMS, LLC (DOM. LLC) Articles of Organization filed with SSNY on 01/12/2016.
Office location: Kings County. SSNY is designated for service of process and shall mail
to: c/o United States Corporation Agents,
7014 13th Avenue, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY
11228. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
275171/19970
275116/19940
BERLIN PROPERTY GROUP, LLC. Art. of
Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/14/16.
Office: Kings County. SSNY designated as
agent of the LLC upon whom process
against it may be served. SSNY shall mail
copy of process to the LLC, c/o Elysa Berlin,
238 Saint Marks Avenue, Unit 4A, Brooklyn,
NY 11238. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of QUICK QUESTION,
LLC (DOM. LLC) Articles of Organization
filed with SSNY on 02/19/2016. Office
location: Nassau County. SSNY is designated
for service of process and shall mail to: c/o
United States Corporation Agents, Inc.,
7014, 13th Avenue, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY
11228. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
275161/17973
275115/19939
LEGAL NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE
UNION SQ 4TH F&B MANAGEMENT LLC.
App for Auth filed w/ SSNY 4/20/16.
Formed in DE 4/12/16. Office in Kings Co.
SSNY designated for service of process and
shall mail to: The LLC, 122 Congress St,
Brooklyn, NY 11201. Auth Officer: DE Div of
Corps, PO Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
275159/18796
LEGAL NOTICE
BL 62 WEST 9TH MANAGEMENT LLC. App
for Auth filed w/ SSNY 4/11/16. Formed in
DE 4/5/16. Office in Kings Co. SSNY designated for service of process and shall mail
to: The LLC, 122 Congress St, Brooklyn, NY
11201. Auth Officer: DE Div of Corps, PO
Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: Any
lawful activity.
275158/18796
FUNERAL HOMES
APOSTOLOPOULOS
Apostle Family Gregory, Nicholas, Andrew Funeral Directors of
RIVERDALE FUNERAL HOME Inc.
5044 Broadway
New York, NY 10034
(212) 942-4000
Toll Free 1-888-GAPOSTLE
CONSTANTINIDES
FUNERAL PARLOR Co.
(718) 745-1010
Services in all localities Low cost shipping to Greece
LEGAL NOTICE
275147/19958
ANTONOPOULOS
FUNERAL HOME, INC.
Konstantinos Antonopoulos Funeral Director
38-08 Ditmars Blvd.,
Astoria, New York 11105
(718) 728-8500
Not affiliated with any
other funeral home.
Notice of Formation of GAS C SERVICES,
LLC (DOM LLC). Articles of Organization
filed with the Secretary of State of New York
SSNY on 2/18/2016. Office location: Kings
County. SSNY has been designated for
service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of
any process served against the LLC to: c/o
United States Corporation Agents, In., 7014
13th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
11228.
Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
to PlACe your
ClAssiFieD AD, CAll:
(718) 784-5255, ext. 106,
e-mAil:
classifieds@
thenationalherald.com
Notice of formation of VIENNA LEATHER
GOODS, LLC (FOR. LLC). Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of
New York, SSNY on 12/10/2015. Office
located in Kings County. SSNY has been
designated for service of process. SSNY
shall mail copy of any process served against
the LLC to: Clint Byrd, Jr., (Agent) 616 Baldwin Avenue, Charlotte, NC
28204.
Purpose: Any lawful activity.
LEGAL NOTICE
275146/19957
ical students, architects, corporate professionals and engineers
in the mix. All of his children
are faithful Greek Orthodox
Christians as are his 13 grandchildren. In his last month of
life, Kirk was lucky enough to
see his first great-grandchildren,
Penelope and Gabriel, twin children of Nick's second daughter,
Thea. He also is survived by an
unofficial third daughter, his
niece, Eleanore Hajian, who resides in Washington, DC. Professionally, PK, as he was
known, prospered for five
decades. He loved his profession
so that he practiced into his
eighties. He was the medical director of the York County Men-
this is a service
to the community.
Announcements of deaths
may be telephoned to the
Classified Department of
the national herald at
(718) 784-5255,
monday through Friday,
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. est
or e-mailed to:
[email protected]
tal Health Center. He was chairman of York Hospital Dept. of
Psychiatry for 25 years. He was
the founder of the Delphic Medical Center where he saw patients often until 10 p.m. The
name selected for his private office was no accident. He wanted
to help erase the stigma associated with mental health disease,
and he also wanted to give tribute to his Greek heritage. He
served as President of the York
County Medical Society, and he
held many leadership roles in
his professional societies. He applied as much passion to his
Church and family as he did to
his profession. He was the Choir
director for 40 years, only retiring when he could not stand
long enough to direct. Together
with other visionary Greeks, he
directed the building of the
beautiful Greek Orthodox
Church replete with Byzantine
Iconography on Pine Grove
Lane. Memorial contributions
may be made to Annunciation
Greek Orthodox Church, 2500
Pine Grove Road, York, PA
17403; or to St. John Chrysostom Antiochian Orthodox
Church, 2397 N. Sherman St.,
York, PA 17406.
COMMUNITY
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 14-20, 2016
9
GREEK GASTRONOMY
OUR EVERYDAY GREEK
Masculine Nouns Review: Order Mezedes for Your Friends Greek Meatloaf and Potatoes:
By Dr. Dimitra Kamarinou
Το ουζάδικο (to ooZAdiko) is
the place where you can order
ouzo and mezedes. Small tables
by the sea usually painted blue,
with many chairs around them.
Imagine that you spend the afternoon there together with your
four friends.
1. First read the menu and
try to translate it.
ΟΥΖΑΔΙΚΟ «Ο ΚΩΣΤΑΣ»
ΜΕΝΟΥ
ΜΕΖΕΔΕΣ
Κεφτέδες
Ντοματοκεφτέδες
Κολοκυθοκεφτέδες
Ντολμάδες
ΨΑΡΟΜΕΖΕΔΕΣ
Γαύρος τηγανητός
Γαύρος μαρινάτος*
* Γαύρος μαρινάτος (mariNAtos) means raw small fish marinated in vinegar and olive oil.
Garlic and dill are added to enrich
the flavor.
2. Then ask your friends
whether they like ouzo and
which mezedes they would prefer. Τry to give complete answers.
-Θέλουμε ούζα;
-Ναι, ….
-Θέλουμε μεζέδες;
-Ναι, ….
-Γιώργο, σου αρέσει ο πάγος στο
ούζο;
-Ναι, ….
-Σου αρέσουν οι ουζομεζέδες;
-Ναι, ….
-Οι κεφτέδες σου αρέσουν;
-Ναι, ….
-Μαρία , σου αρέσουν οι
κολοκυθοκεφτέδες;
-Όχι, …..
-Σου αρέσουν οι
ντοματοκεφτέδες;
-Ναι, ….
-Ελένη, σου αρέσουν οι
ψαρομεζέδες;
-Ναι,…
the examples and try to build
whole sentences.
-Σου αρέσει το ούζο;
-Το ούζο μου αρέσει λίγο.
-Σου αρέσει ο γύρος;
-Ο γύρος μου αρέσει πολύ.
-Σου αρέσουν οι ουζομεζέδες;
(πολύ)
-Σου αρέσουν οι κεφτέδες;
(λίγο)
-Σου αρέσουν οι
κολοκυθοκεφτέδες; (πολύ)
-Σου αρέσει ο χαλβάς; (πολύ)
-Σου αρέσει ο αστακός; (πολύ)
-Σου αρέσει ο γαύρος
τηγανητός;
-Όχι, …
- Σου αρέσει ο γαύρος
μαρινάτος;
Ναι, ….
-Πέτρο, σου αρέσουν οι
ντολμάδες;
Ναι, …..
3. What about yourself?
Which one of these mezedes do
you like? Give a positive or a
negative answer. Avoid restricting your answer to a yes or no.
Try to build a whole sentence.
1. Σου αρέσει το ούζο;
2. Σου αρέσει ο κεφτές;
3. Σου αρέσουν οι μεζέδες;
4. Σου αρέσουν οι ντολμάδες;
5. Σου αρέσει ο χαλβάς;
6. Σου αρέσει ο γαύρος
τηγανητός;
7. Σου αρέσει ο αστακός;
8. Σου αρέσουν οι
ντοματοκεφτέδες;
4. Now try to choose the correct expression for your questions and your answers. Erase
the wrong one. Remember that
we use the expression “μου
αρέσει”, when we want to say
I like it, singular number, and
the expression “μου αρέσουν”
when we are talking about a
bunch of countable things.
1. Σου αρέσει / Σου αρέσουν το
ούζο;
2. Μου αρέσει / Μου αρέσουν ο
πάγος στο ούζο.
3. Σου αρέσει / Σου αρέσουν οι
μεζέδες;
4. Σου αρέσει / Σου αρέσουν οι
κεφτέδες;
5. Σου αρέσει / Σου αρέσουν οι
ντοματοκεφτέδες;
6. Μου αρέσει / Μου αρέσουν οι
ψαρομεζέδες.
7. Μου αρέσει / Μου αρέσουν ο
γύρος.
8. Μου αρέσει / Μου αρέσουν οι
αστακοί.
9. Μου αρέσει / Μου αρέσουν ο
γαύρος.
10. Ο γαύρος μου αρέσει / μου
αρέσουν μαρινάτος.
11. Οι γαύροι μου αρέσει / μου
αρέσουν τηγανητοί.
12. Ο αστακός μου αρέσει / μου
αρέσουν βραστός.
13. Σου αρέσει / Σου αρέσουν ο
χαλβάς;
5. Do you like them a lot or
a little? Remember that the
word πολύ means a lot and the
word λίγο means a little. Read
6. It’s time to order. Call the
waiter and give your order for
you and your friends in Greek.
-Good evening.
-Good evening.
-How are you today?
-Good, thank you. How are you?
-Very well, thank you.
-What would you like today?
-We want five ouza with ice and
mezes.
-Fish mezes?
-No, we want five meatballs, two
tomato fritters and three
zucchini fritters. Do you have
dolmades?
-Yes, we have.
-I like dolmades very much. We
want two dolmades.
-Do you like marinated small
fish. It is very good.
-I don’t like marinated fish. I
don’t like small fish.
-Would you like a lobster?
-No, I don’t like lobster.
-I like halva. Do you have halva?
-We have halva with lemon.
-We want two halvas.
-Thank you.
Ways to Use Easter Leftovers
By Eleni Sakellis
If like many Greeks, you got
carried away with dyeing Easter
eggs, you may have a surplus of
a dozen or more hardboiled red
eggs. In case the prospect of eating another Easter egg for
breakfast has grown tiresome,
try incorporating the eggs into
a Greek meatloaf.
Traditionally, Greek meatloaf
features a row of boiled eggs in
the center that creates an inventive presentation when sliced
and served at the dinner table.
The following flavorful meatloaf
recipe is a tasty addition to your
weeknight meals.
Potatoes are a classic accompaniment to meatloaf and the
recipe that follows is a Greekstyle option. Add chopped hardboiled eggs to the potatoes for
richness and to use up more of
the leftover Easter eggs, if preferred.
Greek Meatloaf
• 2 pounds ground beef, sirloin
• 1 large onion, grated
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to
taste
• 1 cup bread crumbs, plain or
allow to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Serve with a green salad and
mashed potatoes or your choice
of vegetables.
Homemade GreekStyle Potatoes
• 5-6 medium Yukon Gold
potatoes
• Salt
• Pepper
• Lemon
• Greek extra virgin olive oil
• Parsley, chopped, optional
• 1-2 hardboiled eggs,
chopped or sliced, optional
Wash the potatoes thoroughly and place them in a
large, deep pot. Fill with cold
water to cover the potatoes
completely and bring to a boil
over medium high heat. Add a
dash of salt to the pot and allow
the potatoes to simmer until
tender. A skewer through each
of the potatoes should go in easily.
Remove from heat and drain
the cooking water. Add a little
cold water, about a cup, to stop
the cooking process.
If desired, remove skins, or
leave them on. Slice the potatoes into chunks and place in a
Dimitra Kamarinou, PhD, has
studied
philology
and
archaeology at the University of
Ioannina,Würzburg and Bochum
in Germany. She has been
honored with the Academy of
Athens Award in Archaeology
and Homeric Philology.
LITERARY REVIEW
5 Fascinating Books to Add to Your May Reading List
By Eleni Sakellis
Spring is upon us, and for
some that means allergies, but
most people welcome the
warmer temperatures and the
longer days if only for the increased hours you can read by
natural light and out of doors.
As William Shakespeare wrote
in Sonnet #18, “Rough winds
do shake the darling buds of
May,” so compiling your reading
list for the month is a good use
of the time on rainy spring days.
Here are 5 books to add to your
reading list.
As the warmer months approach, you may be contemplating a trip to Greece, if you
haven’t already purchased your
tickets. For those readers who
love ancient history and the remarkable ruins left over the millennia, a great choice to add to
your reading list is Mycenae:
From Myth to History by Athina
Cacouri and Robert McCabe.
The book includes a new play
by John Guare, commentaries
by Lisa Wace French, and a
piece on the Mycenaean landscape by Daniel Fallu. The insights into the search for the city
that fought Troy and the archaeological history are fascinating.
The highlight of the book is the
photography by McCabe. The
extraordinary light of Greece is
captured in the stunning photographs of the archaeological
sites before they were opened
to mass tourism.
American Kid: Nazi-occupied
Greece through a Child’s Eyes
by Constance M. Constant is a
vivid and moving story of survival. As the Greatest Generation grows older, it is vital to
preserve stories of World War II,
lest we forget the harsh times
and the struggles that shaped
the world we live in today. Fleeing from the Great Depression
in the United States in the late
1930’s, Katherine and her three
American-born children find
themselves fleeing the Germans
and then living under the Occupation for the duration of the
war. For many children and
grandchildren of immigrants,
those years in Greece were
never spoken of in the family,
as if talking about it was too
painful for our older relatives to
share and so the truth of what
happened is lost or only fragmentary. American Kid offers insights into the brutal years of
Occupation that might otherwise be lost.
Uncertain Journey by James
Rouman is a novel that tackles
the difficult journey for an illegal
immigrant searching for a place
to belong. Rouman finds the humanity in this struggle that all
those looking for a better life endure as they move from their
homeland to a new one. The
novel brings up questions of identity and navigating social interactions in a multicultural society
for those on the fringes which is
especially relevant with the current refugee crisis in mind.
Athena: A Modern Greek Life
by Aliki Alexxa follows the journey of the title character as she
leaves Greece for America
where she imagines all her
dreams will come true. Her journey begins in the 1950’s and
moves through the decades to
the 1990’s, ending in the year
2000. Athena’s immigrant experience is told mostly in dialogue
and there is a feeling of dislocation at times for the reader that
reflects the immigrant’s experience vividly.
John Vassos: Industrial Design for Modern Life by Danielle
Shapiro is a biography of the
Greek immigrant Vassos who
worked as RCA’s key consultant
designer from the radio era
through the rise of television
and computers. Among his
many accomplishments, Vassos
designed the first mass-produced television receiver, the
TRK-12 which premiered at the
1939 New York World’s Fair. For
those of us who remember Yiayia’s TV, the one that was a
piece of furniture, this book explains the design, and designer,
responsible for it.
flavored, as
preferred
• 1/2 cup water
• Greek extra virgin
olive oil
• 3-4 hardboiled eggs,
eggshells removed
In a large mixing
bowl, combine the
ground beef, onion,
beaten eggs, cumin,
salt, pepper, bread
crumbs, and water.
Drizzle a little olive oil
over the top and mix.
If the mixture seems
too wet, add a little
more bread crumbs.
Mix thoroughly, with
hands, if preferred,
careful not to overwork the mixture.
Place the mixture in
a baking pan and form
the shape of a meatloaf, making
a space down the center for the
boiled eggs.
Place the eggs in a line down
the center and cover with the
meat mixture to form the meatloaf shape. Bake in a preheated
375 degree oven for 45 minutes
to 1 hour depending on the
strength of the oven.
Remove from the oven and
mixing bowl, add salt and
freshly ground pepper to taste.
Add the juice of half a lemon,
or more to taste and drizzle with
olive oil.
Mix and serve warm or at
room temperature, if preferred.
Garnish with chopped parsley,
if using. Add chopped or sliced
hardboiled eggs to add richness
to the potatoes, if preferred.
GREEK AMERICAN STORIES
Money Isn’t Everything (but it’s Good to Have Just in Case)
By Phylis (Kiki) Sembos
Special to The National Herald
There’s an old saying,
“money is the root of all evil.”
True! People steal for it, murder
for it, marry for it, organize pretend charities, go to war for it
and dream of it. I am of the latter. There’s another saying that
goes: “money doesn’t buy you
happiness.” Also true, But, why
can’t I try?
Let’s suppose I won the lottery. I mean the BIG one –
Mega! How would my life
change? Move into a manor
house? Then, I’d need an army
of maids and gardeners to take
care of the whole 50 acres – plus
moat. That’s a lot of people
around. I like my privacy. In my
imagined three car garage I
could afford three Porsches. But,
I like my Toyota. It’s almost paid
for, too.
Then, there’s going on vacations anywhere. But, that would
mean valises, passports, hustle
and bustle, taxis to and from the
airport, crowds
and mishaps,
anxiety and exhaustion. I’d
done all that –
often, at one
time in my life.
All I got for it
was a few souvenirs, foreign
stickers all over my
worn out valises
and a million photos
of people I don’t
know who they are
anymore. One was
the taxi driver in
Athens who took me
on a tour during my
first trip to Greece. I
remember how cheerful, friendly and helpful
he was, showing me all
the interesting points of
Athens.
Then,
he
charged me a small fortune at the end of it. I think
I ripped up his photo. Then, I’d
wonder if my friends and family
would love me for myself.
Or, will they love me
because of the windfall. My grandsons would love
me more if I let
them ride in my
Porsche, I suppose. My relatives would
pay more attention to
me to get invited to
the manor house where they
can swim in my Olympic
sized pool, open bar and
catered lunches. That’s it! I suspect everyone’s attitude towards
me would change after winning
all that money. Suddenly,
I’d be the favorite relative, friend, yiayia.
Then, I’d be every
sales person’s target; charities would
besiege my
door, I’d
need to
hire secret agents
to guard me,
The
Herald
would insist I
pay for longer subscriptions –
like 20 years’ worth. But, if
everybody didn’t love me for
myself I could afford to get rid
of them and find a new set of
relatives and friends. I’d advertise. Then, watch my computer
light up with people begging to
be my new set of grandchildren,
friends and relatives. Still, because of all that money people
will be jealous, envious, resentful of poor little me. Every attitude will change just because I
have piles of money. Then, I
thought of another problem:
where would I put it all? Shovel
it down my basement? Stuff it
in a bank where I’d be looking
over my shoulder every time I
approach the teller? Search the
bushes and shrubs before I get
to my car? Then, suppose I find
a ransom note under my door
telling me to leave $80,000 –
for starters – under the last
bench, by the tennis courts, in
the park where I take walks, “or
else, you’ll never see Penelope
and Lillie ever again.” (They’re
my cats) Gee! What do I do? I’d
be picturing my sweet little pets
looking for me, meowing for
their ‘greenies’ and chicken
breast pieces and being in the
hands of someone who hates
cats, who don’t know that they
love to be brushed every morning, sprawl on my lap over my
fleece cover while watching
Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune,
who, probably, own a pit bull.
That’s it! Know something?
Money doesn’t buy you happiness. It sure can buy you a lot
of stress, suspicions and anxieties. So, let this be a lesson to
you. Be satisfied with what
you’ve got. Money really doesn’t
buy you happiness. Look at the
bright side! I’ve got plenty of
friends my age – ones who still
recognize me, still have the
strength to pick up the phone
to call me, still can walk even
with walkers or electric wheel
chairs. O.K! I’ve said my piece.
Now, please excuse me while I
check the numbers in last night’s
lottery.
FEATURE
10
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 14-20, 2016
HELLENIC HAPPENINGS FROM COAST TO COAST
TNH Staff
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The DETROIT RED WINGS’ playoff loss
means a gain for the GRAND
RAPIDS GRIFFINS. ANDREAS
ATHANASIOU, a speedy forward for the Red Wings, was
relegated to the Griffins, an AHL
farm team of the Wings, in order
DENVER, CO – JOHN DIKEOU
became the first Greek American to be inducted into the COLORADO SPORTS HALL OF
FAME (CSHoF) during its recent
50th annual Induction &
Awards Banquet. The CSHoF
honors those individuals who
merit recognition and distinction for their exploits, accomplishments and leadership in
sports and athletic endeavors in
the state of Colorado.
As owner of the DENVER
BEARS and DENVER ZEPHYRS
AAA baseball teams, he played
a key role in bringing Major
League Baseball to Denver. For
more than a decade, he lobbied,
negotiated and legislated to
bring MLB to Denver.
In 1990 Dikeou helped draft
legislation to charge a 1/10th
of 1 cent sales tax through a
proposed stadium authority to
fund construction of what now
is COORS FIELD. The sales tax
initiative passed, bringing seven
metropolitan counties together
to build the stadium.
Born in Denver to Greek parents, Dikeou was an All-State
athlete in two sports, football
and track, at DENVER EAST
HIGH SCHOOL. He graduated
from the UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO (CU) and went on to
own DIKEOU REALTY, a Denver-Based commercial real estate company and largest private landowner in Downtown
Denver.
John Dikeou delivering his Hall of Fame acceptance speech.
Dikeou was instrumental in
organizing the football scholarship program at CU. Over the
past 30 years, he has donated
hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide scholarships to
student athletes. He has been a
generous contributor to the 100
CLUB that helps widows of firemen and policemen. He has received numerous civic awards,
his most prized being the Outstanding Service to Youth Award
in 1985 given by the BOY
SCOUTS OF AMERICA.
HOMER GLEN, IL – A church
in Homer Glen has attracted
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Bernie Sanders is not mathematically eliminated from winning the Democratic nomination, but is a very long longshot.
Should he drop out or stay in?
Please
email
your
response
to
[email protected] We may publish some responses as Letters to the Editor in a future issue.
people from across Chicagoland
to witness a phenomenon that
some are calling a miracle, WLS
TV reported.
An icon of ST. JOHN THE
BAPTIST has been oozing fragrant oil since last summer at
ASSUMPTION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH, WLS reported.
Parishioners believer the oil to
be myrrh. As WLS noted, “so far,
no one has offered proof that
it's a sign from God, but no one
has proven that it isn't.”
The emission of the fluid
might be from a chemical reaction, some contend, but true believers think the oil has healing
properties, not least of which
the icon’s painter, PETER MIHALOPOULOS, who told the
Chicago Tribune that he believes
the oil was the only reason why
he was back on this feet and
painting just two days after hip
replacement surgery.
The Assumption officials say
that whatever the case, if this
phenomenon attracts more people to God, then it’s a good thing.
THE HERALD SQUARE
TNH's Crossword Challenge
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5 Basic's opposite
9 Father and son presidents
14 Love god
15 Sheet of glass
16 Gossipy
17 Writer Bombeck
18 Bend
19 San __ (CA city)
20 Poet Edgar Allen
21 Salt Lake City's state
22 "To and ___"
23 Brothers of flight
25 US invasion site
29 Slick
30 Outline
31 Twelve
32 Youngest Brady son
35 Licks
36 Infer or super suffix
37 Legal claim
38 Hit
40 Omen
41 Alternative (abbr.)
42 One who gets things done
43 Pointed at
44 Primed
45 Warner of NY Sports broadcasting fame
46 "___ easy as 123"
47 Hermit
49 Esoteric
52 Whichever
53 See
54 Chicken _ __ king - 2 words
56 Splinter of glass
59 Pedestal part
60 Ocean Data Inoperability Pltfrm. (abbrev.)
61 Willia __ (Elizabeth I's advisor)
62 Cain killed him
63 Prejudice
64 Bank
65 Fowl
66 Relive
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1 Retain
2 Cupid's dart
3 Odyssey author
4 U.S. intelligence agcy. (init.)
5 Lack of emotion
6 Weight unit
7 Foot subdivision
8 Flanked by C and I, sans FG
9 The _______ Sisters
10 "Prime Time" Sanders
11 Greatly impress
12 Chinese flavoring
13 Sydney Youth Orch. (SYO)
21 Plain
22 Sicilian-Greek Zappa
24 Published item's ID (abbrev.)
25 Facial expression
26 Maxim
27 Light emitting __
28 Made public
30 Gnome
32 Cool
33 Cargo ship
34 Grande Dame of Hollywood Davis
38 Dirty
39 Brazilian Soccer legend
40 Bldg. Industry Credit Assn. (abbrev.)
42 Wane
43 Alphabet's first four
46 Gov. Schwartzenegger
48 The Osmond Brothers' sister
49 Helper
50 Gymnast Comaneci
51 Saint honored on July 20
53 Teo of Indy 500
55 Recess
56 Supported Commun. Living (abbrev.)
57 ___-Haw variety show
58 Air Cushion Vehicle (abbr.)
59 Dot
60 Outcome Based Educ. (abbrev.)
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n THRU SEPT. 10
TARPON SPRINGS, FL – Tarpon
Springs’ annual Night in the Islands tradition continues on the
historic Sponge Docks once a
month from 6-11PM on the
City’s historic Sponge Docks,
along Dodecanese Boulevard.
Food, drinks, and the street is
closed off for live dancing: 611PM on Saturdays April 2, May
14, June 11, July 9, August 6.
And September 10. Sponsoring
restaurants include Costa’s Hellas, Mama’s and Mykonos.
n MAY 8 & 14
ASTORIA – The Nisyrian Society
of New York the Mikrokosmos
Ensemble, and the Hellenic Cultural Center proudly present
“Byzantine Vespers Asia Minor,”
a musical tribute to composer
Apostolos Kaldaras on Sunday,
May 8 at 5:30PM and Saturday,
May 14 at 7:30PM at the Hellenic Cultural Center, 27-09
Crescent St. in Astoria. Grigoris
Maninakis & Mikrokosmos, with
Stavroula
vocalist
Manolopoulou and bouzouki
soloist Christons Vidiniotis. For
more information, please call
(718) 626-5111.
n MAY 14
MANHATTAN – New York, NY –
April 5, 2016 – The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church,
302 West 91st Street at West
End Avenue in Manahattan, will
hold its Festival of Greek Culture
and Heritage on Saturday, May
14, 11AM-7PM. Experience a
taste of Greece through authentic, hand-made food delicacies,
tour our church which is a combination of 1890s architecture
and Byzantine decoration reminiscent of Orthodox churches
across Greece and take in a
demonstration by our costumed
Greek dance troupe. This spectacular one-day Greek Festival
is a wonderful family event that
each year draws thousands of
visitors from across the tristate
area. Come dance in the streets
as West 91st transforms into a
Greek “plaka” (central plaza) for
the day. More festival information is available on Annunciation’s website (www.annunciationnyc.org).
n MAY 21
CHICAGO, IL – Please join us
on Saturday, May 21 at the National Hellenic Museum, 333
South Halsted St. in Chicago,
for the Second National Hellenic
American Genealogy Conference. The full-day event begins
at 9AM and features presentafrom
Academics,
tions
Archivists, Artists, Authors, and
Researchers covering the most
recent advancements in the field
of Hellenic Genealogy. Scheduled to appear: Louis Katsos,
President/Founder EMBCA;
John A. Calamos, Sr. Chairman
National Hellenic Museum of
Chicago; Dr. Alexander Kitroeff,
History Professor, Haverford
College; Harry Mark Petrakis,
Novelist/ Writer; Georgia
Stryker Keilman, Founder of
HellenicGenealogyGeek.com;
Gregory Kontos, Hellenic Genealogist / Researcher; Alexander Billinis, Author; George Tselos, Supervisory Archivist Statue
of Liberty/Ellis Island; Dr. Nikos
Alexiou, Sociology Professor,
Queens
College;
Michael
Kalavritinos, GAK, General
Archives Resources and Research in GR and TK; Carol
Kostakos Petranek, Hellenic
American Genealogist/ Researcher; and Calliope Iconomacou, Hellenic Artist. Please RSVP
as early as possible to
embca.com – seating is limited!
MANHATTAN – The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church,
302 West 91st Street at West
End Avenue in Manahattan,
hosts a concert of Rachmaninoff’s setting of The Liturgy of
St. John Chrysostom performed
by The Rachmaninoff Choir on
Saturday, May 21, at 7:30PM.
Tickets are on sale now at
BrownPaperTickets.com (event
# 2531013) and at the door on
the night of the performance.
This year’s concert welcomes sacred music and architecture enthusiasts to experience Orthodox music in an unorthodox
setting. The Rachmaninoff Choir
combines members of the Bowdoin College Chorus in
Brunswick, ME, and Down East
Singers in Rockport, ME, and
other singers from Southern
Maine and the greater Boston
metropolitan area. Dr. Anthony
Antolini form the Rachmaninoff
Choir in 1992. The ensemble
specializes in Eastern Orthodox
choral music. Depending on the
concert, the group numbers between 60 and 80 singers. The
Choir has performed all over
New England, New York City,
Montreal, San Francisco and
Washington, DC. Foreign tours
have included the Russian Far
East and St. Petersburg in 2002
and Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece
in 2009.
n JUNE 2-5
HEMPSTEAD, NY – The Greek
Orthodox Cathedral of St. Paul,
110 Cathedral Avenue in Hempsted, invites you to its annual
Greek festival June 2 to 5. There
will be live music, dancing, rides,
games, a giant flea market, arts
and crafts, various vendors, a
motorcycle blessing, a celebrity
cooking contest, and much
more! June 2 6-10PM, June 3 611PM, June 4 2-11PM, and June
5 1-9PM. There will be tours of
the Cathedral available. Our rich
history includes the following:
The establishment of a community on Long Island was first nurtured on April 21, 1944 when
sixteen people attended a meeting in Mineola, New York and
formed an interim committee.
On June 13, 1945, The Orthodox
Greek Catholic Community of
Nassau and Suffolk Counties,
New York, Inc. was founded. Father George Papadeas was sent
here by the Archdiocese to serve
as its priest in 1950. A parcel of
land was purchased on Greenwich Street in Hempstead, New
York and the first Saint Paul's
Church was erected. On December 23, 1950 services were conducted even though the building
was not yet completed. On April
15, 1951, Archbishop Michael
blessed the cornerstone of the
new edifice and that evening the
name of Saint Paul was voted
upon to become the Patron Saint
of the Church. On March 16,
1960, the icon of the "Lamenting
Mother of God" was seen to tear
in the home of Peter and Pagona
Catsounis in Island Park. The
Phenomenon attracted worldwide attention and thousands
from near and far came to witness and to venerate the icon.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate proclaimed it to be a Sign of Divine
Providence. The icon is permanently enshrined in our Cathedral. More information about our
history, and the festival, is available at: stpaulhempstead.org or
by calling (516) 483-5700.
n NOTE TO OUR READERS
This calendar of events section
is a complimentary service to the
Greek American community. All
parishes, organizations and institutions are encouraged to email their information regarding
the event 3-4 weeks ahead of
time, and no later than Monday
of the week before the event, to
[email protected]
This Week in Greek History:
Actor/Model Kostas Sommer
Solution to last week’s puzzle
S
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in the playoffs,
This season, Athanasiou’s first
in the big leagues, Hockey Future had this to say about him:
“Athanasiou has the speed and
hands to be a dangerous NHL
forward, though his all-around
game is still developing. He has
the physical skills and skating
ability to turn into an offensive
threat and continues to work on
his defense and consistency.
“Athanasiou played in 37 regular season games for Detroit in
2015-16, steadily establishing
himself in a lower line role for
the Red Wings and chipping in
with nine goals and five assists.
His combination of size and positional awareness and the willingness to play in hard areas
should keep him in the lineup going forward and he could become
more of a scorer as he gains experience.” That experience could
come quickly with the Griffins for
the 22-year-old Torontonian,
whose roots are from Samos.
GOINGS ON...
n MAY 13-15
CAMP HILL, PA – The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral
says: “Join us for our annual
Greek Festival!” Friday and Saturday, May 14 11AM-8PM, and
Sunday, May 15 Noon-5PM at
1000 Yverdon Drive in Camp
Hill. Greek dancers are scheduled to perform all three days.
Tours of the Church will be conducted. The menu features the
entire array of Greek dishes
you’d expect, along with some
specialties, such as veggie gyro
and two types of kataifi dessert.
For more information, please
call (717) 763-7441 or visit pagreekfest.com.
www.CrosswordWeaver.com
ACROSS
The icon of St. John the Bapist in Homer Glen.
n MAY 12-15
NORFOLK, VA – The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral,
7220 Granby Street in Norfolk,
invites you to its annual Greek
Festival, from Thursday, May
through Sunday, May 15. Food
and music highlight the festival.
Outdoor stands will sell everything from Souvlaki to Loukoumades — all homemade in
the flavorful tradition of Greek
cuisine. The food is available at
the festival under the tents
while listening to live music or
indoors at the Hellenic Center.
Take-out is also available. Festival hours are: Thursday 11AM9:30PM, Friday and Saturday
11AM-10PM, and Sunday Noon7PM. Bring your family and
friends and have a Greek-Time!
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to gain more experience, the
Grand Rapids Press reported.
That is a boost for the Griffins,
who are in the midst of their
own playoff series.
Athanasiou, a speedy forward who scored nine regularseason goals this year and one
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This week in history, on May,
17, 1975, Kostas Sommer was
born in Germany.
Though his surname would
indicate otherwise, the halfGreek, half-German is Greek on
his father’s side, but uses his
mother’s last name.
Sommer gained attention as
an actor when he played the
role of Ilia in the 2002 film I
Agapi Irthe apo Makrya – Love
Arrived from Afar. He is best
known to American audiences
as the Greek gigolo Assapopoulos Mariolis in the 2005 comedy
Deuce Bigalow: European
Gigolo, a sequel to the original
1999 version Deuce Bigalow:
Male Gigolo. That film also stars
fellow Greek Alex Dimitriades,
with the feature role played by
Saturday Night Live veteran Rob
Schneider.
He starred in the Greek TV
series Tis Agapis Maheria
(Knives of Love), which gave
him a personal connection as it
was based on the traditions of
his father’s homeland, Crete.
Prior to his acting career,
Sommer had appeared as a fashion model in various magazines.
He was to have appeared in
the feature film 300 (2006),
about the Spartans’ famous stand
against the Persians in the 480BC
Battle of Thermopylae, but in an
interview stated that a dispute
between a castmate (undisclosed) who got him the role
cause the two of them (and another undisclosed castmate) to
be released from the production.
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 14-20, 2016
GREECE CYPRUS
11
Tensions are on the Rise as Violence Breaks out in Greece’s Refugee Camps
More battles keep breaking
out in Greek detention centers
and camps holding 54,000
refugees and migrants stranded
by the suspension of a European
swap deal with Turkey.
Police used tear gas to stop
clashes between rival groups of
rock-throwing Pakistani and
Afghan migrants at Idomeni in
northern Greece, near the border
FYROM
closed,
which
Kathimerini said.
Syrians, who have been given
preference for asylum, have been
separated from other groups
where tensions are growing
among multiple ethnic lines
housed together, with incidents
almost daily.
Giorgos
Kyritsis,
the
spokesman for the government’s
coordinating body for refugees,
said four new reception centers
will soon be created in the wider
region of Thessaloniki and a German non-governmental organization pledged money for one.
Idomeni still has some 10,000
people hoping FYROM will open
its border and let them move on
to other more prosperous EU
countries where they want to live
after fleeing war in Syria and
strife in the Middle East, Asia and
northern Africa.
At Idomeni, some 2,500 remain camped out on railroad
tracks, blocking cargo trains for
months, costing Greek businesses
Migrants hug one another as a group of 40 refugees and migrants is transferred to the camp of
Oreokastro, at a makeshift camp of the northern Greek border point of Idomeni on Wednesday.
millions of euros in losses. The
ruling Radical Left SYRIZA government said it will not use force
to remove them.
At the Elliniko camp in
Athens, the former international
airport site, there are about 3,500
asylum seekers and hundreds of
migrants, mostly Afghans, on
May 10 refused to eat in protest
at the quality of the food and because they said Syrians are getter
preference.
“Afghans here are wondering
why they can’t be included in the
(EU’s) resettlement program. If
they don’t get asylum then they
will return to Afghanistan and
they will die and the EU won’t
take responsibility for it because
[the Afghans] are not considered
refugees,” Nadir Noor, who is responsible for the camp at the
baseball stadium sheltering some
1,000 people told Kathimerini.
The numbers of refugees and
migrants leaving from the coast
of Turkey for Greek islands has
fallen sharply since the EU deal
which has been limbo since
Greece said it couldn’t handle the
overwhelming numbers of asylum applications.
There are currently 9,682 migrants at Idomeni, 14,435 in Attica, of whom 2,135 are stranded
at Piraeus port, and the rest are
scattered around the country, the
coordinating body of the refugee
crisis management said.
THE ILLEGALS
Most of the 11,000 refugees
stranded at Idomeni at the closed
FYROM border don’t have residency papers, Migration Policy
Minister Yiannis Mouzalas said.
“The papers of 70 percent of
the people at Idomeni (which
they received when they were
registered) have already expired,” he said, making them subject to arrest as illegal migrants.
“What we are saying is that if
they are moved to other camps
around the country their documents will be automatically validated and renewed,” he said in
another bid to persuade them to
leave the area where they have
been blocking rail traffic in and
out of the country, costing businesses millions in losses.
Government sources told
Kathimerini that the evacuation
of migrants from Idomeni could
begin in two weeks when the
necessary accommodation centers are ready but most have
stayed in hopes that FYROM will
open its border and let them pass
to other more prosperous European Union countries.
Under a deal struck with the
EU last October, Greece was
given a deadline to create accommodation to house 50,000 migrants by the end of the year but
hasn’t moved to do it.
“The truth is that we do not
Over Greek Fury, Reforms Done, but More Austerity Looms
Continued from page 1
debt cut but that would mean
the taxpayers in the other 17
Eurozone countries would have
to pick up the tab for decades
of wild overspending and runaway patronage by successive
governments, including SYRIZA,
which has hired thousands of
people, many to plum appointments for which critics said they
are unqualified.
Tsipras, who twice backed
down from pledges to create security nets for the country’s
most vulnerable said the pension cuts wouldn’t affect most
of the elderly but Kathimerini
said they could hit up to 70 percent with losses.
Tsipras again said debt relief
is the answer as his plan to bring
in investors appears to have
been sidelined by big tax hikes
that tourism officials said would
also critically wound the industry, the country’s biggest revenue engine.
"This will create the financial
room not just to relaunch the
economy but also widen social
protection," he said of debt relief.
"With the decision on May
24, Greece will turn a page and
leave behind it six years of darkness," he said, hoping for the release of more bailout monies
that have failed to put a dent in
Greek debt, still at 175 percent
of Gross Domestic Product
(GDP).
Greece must also push privatizations, collection of bad loans
by banks and find a middle
ground with its creditors on
what measures to implement if
it fails to bring its primary budget surplus, which excludes debt
payments, to 3.5 percent of GDP
by 2018.
Tsipras insisted once again
that there would be "contingency measures" to correct any
imbalance, but added that "no
correction will be necessary" as
Greece had already exceeded its
surplus target in 2015.
The finance ministers’ meeting followed days of protests in
Greece, where tens of thousands
took to the streets again to rail
against the reforms and more
austerity which hits workers,
pensioners and the poor the
most again.
A RIGHT HOOK
The leader of the main opposition New Democracy, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said Tsipras’
celebration was only “histrionics” and said SYRIZA was readying for a fourth bailout.
In Brussels, three European
officials told Kathimerini that
they believed the IMF will not
participate in Greece’s third
bailout with funding but with
more of an advisory role.
Germany – the biggest contributor to three rescue pack-
Ahepans Meet
Anastasiades;
Discussion on
Cyprus Unity
AP Photo/Geert vAnDen wiJnGAert
EU Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs Pierre Moscovici,
left, talks with Greece's Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos ahead of an EU eurogroup meeting
at the EU Council building in Brussels on Monday May 9, 2016. European finance ministers
gathered in Brussels Monday for talks aimed at breaking the deadlock over whether to provide
more aid to bolster Greece's shattered economy and forgive some of its debts.
ages of 326 billion euros
($371.61 billion) – has demanded the toughest austerity
and will demand the IMF stay
in the Quartet, the newspaper
said.
German Finance Minister
Wolfgang
Schaeuble
said
Greece’s bailout review could be
completed in May if the IMF
“makes a statement saying
things are going well.”
The IMF wants to get paid in
full for its loans but wants the
EU to take a hit on its and give
Greece debt relief to make sure
the Washington, DC-based
agency gets its money.
Turkish Violations of Air and Water Space Fuels Greeks’ Fears
By Andy Dabilis
TNH Staff Writer
ATHENS – Without drawing a
response from NATO, the United
States, or the European Union,
a newly-aggressive Turkey is
regularly violating Greek air
space and territorial waters,
raising fears the provocations
could lead to a confrontation between the countries.
With the EU backing down
to Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s demands so
that more refugees and immigrants won’t be unleashed from
Turkey – primarily to Greece –
the Turkish leader has stepped
up his intensity.
Turkish fighter jets regularly
violate Greek air space over the
Aegean – carefully tracked by
Greek fighter pilots who occasionally engage them in mock
dogfights – but the incursions
have stepped up markedly.
The violations have reached
into the hundreds a month,
Greek defense officials said,
stoking tension amid worries
the countries could come close
to battle if there is a military
“accident.”
Turkey disputes Greek air
space and sovereign waters and
it was reported that on Good
Friday, officers aboard a Turkish
patrol boat threatened to arrest
the captain of a Greek fishing
boat in Greek waters near the
island of Inousses, which Turkey
have the capability yet to transfer
all these people to organized centers,” a police source told the paper, adding that the evacuation
plan can only move forward if
the necessary infrastructure is in
place.
A deal the EU struck with
Turkey to swap refugees has been
suspended because Greece can’t
deal with an overwhelming number of asylum applications, leaving 54,000 stuck in Greece.
The government said refugees
and migrants at other camps outside Athens and Thessaloniki –
the only places were asylum can
be sought – also don’t have valid
documents.
THE KIDS AREN’T ALRIGHT
Europe's leading human rights
body is calling on Greece to provide alternatives to detaining
children under an agreement between the European Union and
Turkey to limit migration.
Several hundred children remain detained at camps on the
Greek islands since the agreement took effect in late March.
In a report published May 11,
the Council of Europe urged
Greek authorities to address the
issue "urgently" and to follow up
on reports that refugee children
were involved in criminal activities, including prostitution and
drug trafficking.
An envoy from the Strasbourg, France-based body visited
refugee shelters at six sites
around Greece in March. But the
visit of Pope Francis to the island
of Lesbos to meet refugees has
done nothing to help them.
claims is in its territory. It took
the arrival of a Greek gunboat
to prevent it.
“Turkey is constantly projecting territorial claims against
Greece in the Aegean Sea by focusing on and around the island
of Chios with flyovers and
threats against Greek fishing
boats,” the newspaper ProtoThema said
Greek military officials said
they believe Turkey could be trying to exhaust the already
strained Greek military resources and forcing it to spend
fuel and human resources or
that it’s playing war games to
detect weaknesses in security.
But Ioannis Michaeletos, a
military and security expert for
eurokinissi
Greek athletes win gold medals in 4th Athens Street Pole Vault event
Greek athlete Costas Filippidis won the 4th Athens Street Pole Vault event held in the center of
the Greek capital on Tuesday, clearing the bar at 5.70 meters. Katerina Stefanidis celebrated
her victory in the women' s competition with 4.65 meters. Like the past events, this year' s
Athens Street Pole Vault was above all a celebration of sports which gave Athenians and foreign
visitors a unique opportunity to see a high-level competition in an open public space. On Syntagma square which has become the central point for Greek anti-austerity protests over the
past six years, two dozen elite athletes from across the world competed under the warm
applause of a cheering crowd of Greeks and foreign tourists.
the Athens-based Institute for
Security and Defence Analysis,
told The National Herald that
Turkey is just testing Greece and
has no intention of making serious advances. “I don’t estimate
that there is going to be any ‘Hot
Incident’ between Turkey &
Greece,” he said, adding that
Turkey is feeling pressure on a
number of fronts: the Kurds, bad
relations with Israel, tension
with the United States and trying to handle the EU refugee
swap deal.
“It depressurizes that by becoming assertive in the Aegean,
knowing that Greece will not respond directly and militarily …
it’s a safe bet for Erdogan for
his internal audience and especially to appear as a strongman
within the military establishment of Turkey. EU and Germany in particular are very fearful of a new massive
immigration wave coming out
of Turkey this summer, thus they
are trying to appease Erdogan.
“I don’t think this will work
out-he is not a rational player
and there are estimations that
indeed Turkey will start doing
the same again by letting a large
numer of people go into Europe
as it did in 2015. Of course
again Greece will face a big issue.”
END GAME?
The worst-case scenario worrying Greece is that Turkey will
step up its military presence in
the Aegean while it has the upper hand over NATO – which is
patrolling the Aegean to stop
human traffickers from bringing
more refugees to Greece.
While warning there could
be a “serious accident” if Turkey
keeps invading Greek air space
and waters, Defense Minister
Panos Kammenos said Greece
won’t be lured into a provocation.
“Greece knows there are
forces (in Turkey) that want to
create tension and, perhaps,
cause a serious incident or an
accident,” Kammenos told
Kathimerini.
“Greece will not be dragged
into actions that might undermine its rights,” he said, adding
that he had recently spoken to
NATO Secretary-General Jens
Stoltenberg asking him to stop
Turkish trangressions. NATO
usually takes a hands-off policy
between
bickering
members.Yiorgos Leventis, a
member of London’s Institute
for Strategic Studies and head
of the Inter Security Forum on
Cyprus – which has seen violations of its waters by Turkish
warships and energy research
vessels, told TNH that “Erdogan
is capitalizing on Greek weakness. He has planned to take advantage of the collapse of the
Greek economy and thus the
power of resistance to his expansionist designs.
He said the EU’s capitulations to Erdogan have only emboldened him. “Erdogan sees
that Greece’s EU partners – primarily Germany – are cajoling
him into stemming the flow of
refugees and succumbing to
everyone of his wishes, rather
than coming to the aid of
Greece, in the context of EU solidarity.”
While no one knows what Erdogan will do, he said, “Ankara
sees a golden opportunity to advance its designs on Greek sovereignty seeking to establish
three tiers of grey zones, laying
claim to Greek islands as far as
south of Crete (Gavdos).”
Michaletos said the risk is
minimal but that if it came to a
war – provoked or accidentally
– “if nobody intervenes both
sides will have big casualties
and if the theater is in the
Aegean the major role will be
played by the Air Force and
Navy forces of both countries
and not ground troops.”
A visiting AHEPA delegation,
heading by Supreme President
John Galanis met with Cypriot
President Nicos Anastasiades,
Cyprus Weekly reported.
Galanis said that the United
States is not likely to change its
position regarding Cyprus no
matter who wins the November
Presidential election. “I don’t expect any significant change,” he
said.
He also said that in their
meeting with President Anastasiades, the delegation discussed the challenges ahead for
resolution to the Cyprus problem, Cyprus weekly reported.
“It (the process) is moving
forward and we are very supportive of Cyprus. The Greek
and the Cypriot community in
America will be very much in
support of whatever the people
want and agree to with the
Turkish side,” he said.
“I would say I am optimistic
because there is so much to gain
from both parties that it would
be a shame and a tragedy that
they couldn’t arrive in something that is mutually agreeable,” he added.Galanis said reported, that it could e a win-win
situation, and so he remains optimistic. But there are still
“many, many challenges” ahead,
“such as territory and citizenship,” among others.
The visit coincided with the
new bimonthly report on Cyprus
to the Congress, by President
Barack Obama, which focused
on the historic visit to the island
paid by Secretary of State John
Kerry last December and on the
meetings Vice President Biden
had regarding Cyprus, on the
sidelines of the Davos World
Economic Forum as well as in
Turkey, the Cyprus News Agency
reported.
The report – issued every two
months by Public Law – covers
the months of December and
January and is prepared since
2004 by the Department of
State.
A cover letter signed by the
Assistant Secretary of State for
Legislative Affairs Julia Frifield,
notes that UN-facilitated efforts
toward a comprehensive solution continued in this reporting
period, during which the leaders
and negotiators continued to
make progress in settlement
talks.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister
Christoforos Fokaides referred
to the upgraded geopolitical and
geo-strategic role of Cyprus in
the Southeastern Mediterranean, during a meeting he
had with a delegation from the
American Hellenic Institute
(ΑΗΙ).
According to an official announcement, the Minister
thanked members of AHI for
their role in promoting Cyprus’
positions in decision-making
centers in the United States.
Fokaides briefed the AHI
leadership on regional cooperation schemes Cyprus is promoting with neighboring countries,
particularly in the area of security and defense.
(Material from the Associated
Press was used in this report)
EDITORIALS LETTERS
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The National Herald
A weekly publication of the NATIONAL HERALD, INC.
(ΕΘΝΙΚΟΣ ΚΗΡΥΞ),
reporting the news and addressing the issues of paramount interest
to the Greek-American community of the United States of America.
Publisher-Editor Antonis H. Diamataris
Assistant to the Publisher, Advertising Veta H. Diamataris Papadopoulos
Executive Editor Constantinos E. Scaros
Religion Editor Theodore Kalmoukos
Production Manager Chrysoula Karametros
The National Herald (USPS 016864) is published weekly by
The National Herald Inc. at 37-10 30th Street, LIC, NY 11101-2614
Tel: (718)784-5255, Fax: (718)472-0510,
e-mail: [email protected]
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Tel: 011.30.210.3614.598, Fax: 011.30.210.3643.776, e-mail:
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Periodical postage paid at L.I.C., N.Y. and additional mailing offices.
Postmaster send change of address to:
THE NATIONAL HERALD, 37-10 30th Street, LIC, NY 11101-2614
Bearish on Greece
Two years ago, Marc Mezvinsky, son-in-law of Hillary & Bill
Clinton, invested 25 million dollars in Greek bank stocks and
government debt. It was a time when many on Wall Street were
hoping for a revival in the Greek economy and, in turn, significant dividends.
However, a few days ago, according to numerous articles,
the Clintons’ son-in-law shut down the Greek fund after losing
90 percent of the investment value.
And so, the New York Times wonders, “it is not clear why
Eaglevale” – Mezvinsky’s hedge fund – “waited until this year
to close the Hellenic fund, which already had lost about 40
percent of its value by early last year.”
The fact that an investor has left a market after losing money
is not usually newsworthy.
In the case of Greece, however, it is news, because the country needs investments, and this is not some random investor;
surely he must be in the know due to his relationship with the
Clintons.
In other unrelated news, Michalis Sallas, the controversial
Chairman of Piraeus Bank, Greece’s largest – let us remind you
of the highly revealing reports by Reuters (we can’t help but
wonder what happened to the lawsuit against them) – made
the following statement in his interview with the Financial
Times: “The government’s priority has to be to restore confidence, rebuild stability, and bring back investors. That in turn
will allow the banking system to recover and play a big role in
returning to growth.”
Although these two examples seem to be unrelated, they
have one common denominator: the importance that political
stability, investor confidence in the government, and the absence
of risky surprises and changes have on the economy.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has turned so many somersaults during his 16 months in office that he has dazed everyone, mainly the foreigners.
The recent disclosure of the discussion between members of
the IMF has caused the country considerable damage.
And yet, celebrating decisions that bind Greece for decades
cannot be considered an action that will help restore the climate
of confidence.
Greek Investment Myth
Even the last of Greece’s politicians – and mandarin government bureaucrats – know that foreign investments, along with
exports and tourism, comprise the road that leads to growth, to
new jobs, and to increased revenue for the country.
They know this so well that they harp on about it in virtually
every statement, every speech in Parliament, election campaign,
and interview.
They promise to increase investments – foreign, naturally –
to create “one- stop shopping” (how often have we heard that
expression?) – to bypass the slow-grinding gears of bureaucracy,
to provide motives, in order to attract investors, etc.
They have made these promises for years and continue to
make them today.
And, you guessed it, they either do nothing, or, worse yet,
do the exact opposite.
Who else but the expatriate Greek should the government
target for investments in Greece? Yet, there are many examples
of expatriates attempting to invest in Greece only to hit walls
of bureaucracy, corruption, closed markets, and unfair competition.
If these phenomena were considered condemnable in the
past, then today, with unemployment at 24% and with the
country collecting money from hospitals, schools and Parliament
in order to pay pensions, it is a crime.
And yet, the latest infuriating example is the case of the
Greek-American businessman Merkourios (Mike) Angeliades,
who made a serious investment in the Afandou Golf Course on
Rhodes during the Samaras government, with plans to invest a
total of $400 million. The master plan, legal fees, etc., alone
must have cost him a considerable amount of money during all
this time.
Yet, now comes the current government, post-hoc, and characterizes the property as an archaeological site. In other words,
they are radically changing the terms under which Angeliades
made the investment.
Besides altering the building potential of the property, this
also means years of delays, for those who are aware of the pace
at which the public archaeological department works.
Naturally, Angeliades is furious. Here is part of the statement
he made to this newspaper: “I want the area just as it was
when I purchased it. Just as it was. The way it was when I
bought it, just as it was then, when I put my money into it and
made plans to invest $400 million. If they change it, I don’t
want it. I will depart… What should I stay and do there? With
a government that can’t communicate with each other?”
So that’s that, in regards to the loudmouthed declarations
about attracting investments in Greece.
Until they change that outdated mindset, until the word
profit becomes a widely accepted notion, as it is in Western
countries, until they manage to “communicate with each other,”
they will continue to provoke ridicule when speaking to Hellenes
abroad about investing.
And the Greek people, whom the government is supposed
to be serving, are the ones who are paying the price of this
brainless behavior.
Pan Metron Ariston
The Greeks have a saying: Pan Metron Ariston (originally,
Metron Ariston), which means Everything in Moderation.
Now that it is all but certain that the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees will be Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, respectively, we hope the press as a whole will practice that philosophy.
Every media outlet wants an audience, it is only natural.
And the circuslike atmosphere of the primaries, the excitement
of the horserace, made attracting large audiences very easily.
Now comes the hard part.
Between now and November, there will be a comparative
lull.
The media must find a way to attract a largely apolitical nation without resorting to unprofessional sensationalism.
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 14-20, 2016
Discovering the
Wonders of Greece
To the Editor:
I was born and raised in the
beautiful state of Ohio. I decided to come to Thessaloniki
because I wanted to learn Greek
and immerse myself in the life
of the Orthodox Church, the
Greek culture, and to connect
with my roots.
I am 26 years old. Approxi-
TO OUR READERS
the national herald welcomes
letters from its readers intended for publication. they
should include the writer’s
name, address, and telephone
number and be addressed to:
the editor, the national herald, 37-10 30th street, long
island City, ny 11101. letters
can also be faxed to (718) 4720510
or
e-mailed
to
[email protected].
we reserve the right to edit
letters for publication and regret that we are unable to acknowledge or return those left
unpublished.
mately four years ago I began
developing a strong interest in
Orthodox theology, Church history, Byzantine music, and the
Greek language. I wanted to
study all these things that I love,
and Greece was the logical
choice.
I have been studying at the
Aristotle University’s School of
Modern Greek Language since
August. I have learned from professors who are true masters of
the language. My classmates are
from all over the world, and that
has given me a rare and unique
global perspective.
I have also had the chance
to travel to many breathtaking
places in Greece. I climbed to
the top of Mount Olympus and
visited holy monasteries on
Mount Athos and Meteora.
I visited my relatives for the
first time, on March 25, in
Amaliada, and ran a 12-kilometer race from Ancient Ilida to
Amaliada. I felt like I was running back to my roots!
A 71-year-old man was running beside me, keeping pace! I
was impressed. His advice to me
about his secret to staying in
great shape: soul, movement,
and work. Keep your mind and
soul on God, exercise, and know
that your goals require hard
work.
I also had a chance to visit
the Northern border and spoke
with the refugees, and helped
in any way that I could. One
man told me “if you can help
people, God will help you.”
Helping those in need is something we can all strive to do
every day.
Greece’s display of philoxenia reassures my faith in humanity.
Lastly, I am confident that
those who want to travel to
Greece will find what they are
looking for and undoubtedly
create bonds and memories that
will last forever.
Aris Spirtos
Thessaloniki, Greece
GeorGe sArAFoGlou / sPeCiAl to the nAtionAl herAlD
12
AGORA – THE ORIGINAL MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS
By Dan Georgakas and
Constantinos E. Scaros
From time to time, an issue emerges and
inspires various minds to converge, often at
odds with one another, to discuss it. Hopefully,
collective enlightenment will result from such
conversations. The Ancient Greeks did that in
the Agora, the original marketplace of ideas,
and we, their modern-day descendants, aspire
to continue that tradition. We respect one another’s opinion very much,
but often times we will disagree on particular
issues. We would never fabricate a difference
of opinion for the sake of writing an interesting
column.
Rest assured, anything we write here are
our sincere, heartfelt thoughts.
We will share them with you every two
weeks. We hope you enjoy them, and we look
forward to your taking part in the discussion
as well – by contributing letters to the editor in
response, and/or commenting on our website:
www.thenationalherald.com
Should Unisex Bathrooms Idea be Flushed Down Toilet?
SCAROS PRESENTS HIS
POINT OF VIEW
Dan, I never thought I would
waste valuable space on this
page discussing the ongoings inside of public bathrooms, but as
this story seems to dominate the
headlines throughout the American media – as if nothing more
important is going on – I figured, why not bring it to our
Agora discussion?
Basically, I think the North
Carolina law requiring individuals to use public bathrooms
corresponding to the specific
gender designated on their birth
certificate is wrong. But I also
think the notion of multistall
unisex public bathrooms without gender-specific alternatives
in the same area is disastrous.
There are many people opposed to unisex only bathrooms,
for varying reasons. The fear of
a small child encountering a disrobing “trannie” (transgender
person) doesn’t even make my
top 50 list of concerns. The odds
of anyone encountering a trannie – considering that transgenders comprise about one third
of one percent of the U.S. population – let alone realizing the
person is one, is about as likely
as finding a Ted Cruz supporter
in the South Bronx. Not to mention the ludicrous, xenophobic
notion that trannies are predisposed to being perverts and
would invade someone’s privacy
inside a bathroom.
In fact, I would venture to
speculate, logically, that trannies
are probably less likely, on the
whole, to violate the law, given
that they are targeted for being
different to begin with, much
like illegal aliens on the whole
are less likely to exceed the
speed limit.
My real concern is that a
high school or a nightclub in
which the only place to relieve
oneself is a multistall unisex
bathroom will unleash the male
species upon women and girls
in a vulnerable environment. I
am not even going to pretend
that equivalent argument can be
made – that men might feel
traumatized by women ogling
them or groping them in such a
situation – or that many
wouldn’t even dream of such
victimization. It is really about
curbing aggressive male behavior toward females.
Granted, most men are respectful to others and would
never do such a thing. But I’m
talking about hormone-crazed
high school boys, and twentysomethings at 2 in the morning who’ve downed eight Jack
Daniels and want to catch a
glimpse of the hot chick they’ve
been eyeing all night, as she disrobes in a restroom stall.
“But the stalls are private,”
some contend. Yeah, right.
Many of them are the same folks
who scoff at the notion of building a wall at the U.S./Mexico
border, because people can
“build tunnels.” Well, sex-crazed
guys can also stand on the toilet
seat and peek into the next stall.
I should also point out that I
have no problem with unisex
bathrooms that one person uses
at a time (after all, that describes the kind of bathrooms
people have at home) or multistall unisex bathrooms as long
as there are gender-designated
options as well. “His” “hers” and
“theirs,” if you will. That way,
it’s all about “enter at your own
risk,” with viable options.
Moreover, I don’t have a
problem with a “female-looking”
human being urinating upright
at a urinal. The “trauma” caused
to any bystanders, who should
really just be concentrating on
their own reasons for being in
the bathroom, would be negligible.
My proposal, then to have
whatever kind of bathroom system anyone wants as long as
there are options for genderspecific privacy, actually benefits
trannies: Caitlyn Jenner, for example, can use a urinal in a
men’s room, or a stall in a ladies’
room.
But any location with multistall unisex bathrooms only, is
just asking for trouble.
GEORGAKAS RESPONDS
Dino, your analysis of the
“bathroom” issue in North Carolina is well conceived . You
even present a workable solution. I strongly second your ob-
servation regarding aggressive
male behavior toward women,
especially in the circumstances
you state. The bathroom issue,
however, is only one challenge
to public policy involving the
“rights” of transsexuals.
Politicians such as Hillary
Clinton routinely express their
support for the LGBT community. L is for lesbians; G, in this
case ,means male homosexuals;
B indicates bisexuals; and T
refers to transsexuals of either
sex. I find the T in this acronym
inappropriate. To identify as a
lesbian, gay, or bisexual does
not require medical intervention
while being regendered physically requires complex surgery
and dangerous medications
with long time periods of partial
transformation.
How are the rights of transgendered people, especially
those in transition, to be balanced against the rights of others? What standard applies to
grade schools, groups like the
girl scouts, health club locker
rooms. and numerous public institutions? Is a claim to be of a
certain sex sufficient for an adolescent transsexual to use whatever facilities he or she wishes?
Who determines that?
I am disturbed that the current discussion of transgenderism is mainly framed by preset “political correct” views with
vaguely right or left perspectives. One view regards transgenderism as basically immoral
or a form of mental illness. It
favors considerable restrictions
on transsexuals. The other view
flays society for its rigid and intolerant sex codes. It supports
changes in society advanced by
transsexuals as human rights
without much attention to detail.
Generally missing from both
views are some basic scientific
realities. We know for example
but that transsexuals generally
have shorter life spans. The sexual parts being altered surgically
frequently become cancerous.
Hormonal drugs such as
spironolactone and estradiol
that must be used perpetually
by many transgendered people
dramatically increases the pos-
sibility of developing life-threatening blood clots, liver cancer,
and kidney failure. Breast enhancement drugs also increase
the likelihood of blood clotting
while simultaneously strongly
elevating the possibility of gall
bladder, liver, and breast cancer.
Should the general public bear
the costs of this risky surgery
and drug maintenance or are
these costs to be categorized as
elective surgery and medical
maintenance?
The medical risks just noted
do not mean that transgenderism needs to be abandoned
or decried. They should, however, make us cautious and
frank when dealing with public
facilities, personal counseling,
and sexual education. Serious
moral and political discussions
that are attentive to scientific
and psychological studies
should precede policy making.
Rigid positions and hastily enacted actions are not particularly wise or effective whatever
one’s view.
Personally berating those
with differing views and trying
to silence people with strong attitudes as happened to feminist
Germaine Greer is not useful.
Greer’s offense was that she
raised questions regarding
Bruce Jenner’s transformation
into Caitlyn Jenner. Greer
opined that being “a woman”
could not be reduced to a surgical procedure.
Whether one agrees with her
or not, the attempt to ban her
from speaking on any topic at
Oxford University, the crown
jewel of British education, was
loathsome.
My personal view is conflicted. Mother Nature seems to
be a making a lot of sexual mistakes these days. On the other
hand, those who wish to be
transgendered strike me as quite
sincere and needy. I would not
interfere with anyone’s right to
alter their body or conduct their
sex life as they wish as long as
no one else is hurt. I think the
closer public policy is to that
modest orientation the better
for all concerned.
WHAT’S YOUR OPINION?
Observations By Antonis H. Diamataris
A Memorable Speech
When political leaders make speeches in
the Greek Parliament, they do not intend
to influence a debate ’s outcome, since that
is already known. Their aim is to make the
best impression.
Who delivered the best “punch lines,”
whose appearance was most leaderlike in a
theatrical sense, who received the loudest
applause from fellow party members, and
who provided newspapers with the best
headlines.
All of these were evident during the recent discussion on pension reforms on the
part of both the Greek prime minister and
the main opposition party leader.
But there was something else remarkably
evident, possibly with positive consequences
for the country ’s future.
Greece’s conviction – finally – of the
failed hardline statism in the name of an irresponsible, supposedly anthropocentric
theory, which adds misery to the people and
deprives them of their dignity.
New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis presented a modernized philosophy
successfully implemented in numerous Eurozone countries, as well as in the United
States, unlike Greek Prime Minister Alexis
Tsipras’ like supposedly leftwing philosophy,
which has done nothing but bring chaos
wherever it has been applied.
Mitsotakis said nothing new; he merely
spoke of decades-long practices, of an open
market policy that has contributed to the
rapid growth of Western countries initially,
and of Asian countries today.
But he made the statements, in Parliament, and in front of a “leftist” government.
And that’s what matters. For even if these
things are known to everyone, no one dared
say them in the past, for fear of the reactions
by “progressive” politicians and unfortunately the media.
“We need something more,” Mitsotakis
stated. “We need a government that believes
in the power of a free economy in order to
generate wealth. That understands the importance of innovation and entrepreneur-
ship.”
And he added: “we can reduce waste,
but primarily we can redesign and restructure public administration in order to
achieve more, with less.”
That is the root of the Greek problem.
From the moment that years of statistical
sleight of hand have been revealed, if the
model doesn’t change, if it does not move
along the lines of an open economy used
successfully in other developed countries,
then surely more memoranda are going to
follow, more misery, more mockery of the
Greek name, less sovereignty, waves of
young Greeks migrating to foreign countries, and who knows what else.
And another thing: an “agreement of
truth” is the prerequisite for the smooth
progression of the present situation and economic growth. As Mitsotakis put it, “an
agreement that tackles the biggest issue between citizens and politicians: the utter lack
of trust.”
That speech, therefore, is likely to be a
memorable one.
VIEWPOINTS
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 14-20, 2016
13
A Russian Threat Looming As Long as Erdogan Doesn’t Go Back on His Meds….
Since Catherine the Great
advantage of RusEver
since
sia’s weakness and
Catherine the Great
expanded NATO in
in the Eighteenth
the Balkans, CenCentury, Russia has
tral Europe, and
been attempting to
the Baltic – effecproject itself as a
tively surrounding
world-class power.
the country.
Historically, part of
NATO planes
the Russian push
can reach Russian
for expansion has
airspace in a matbeen defensive. The
ter of minutes and
Russians have enin the Far East,
dured the trauma
by DR. ANDRE
Russia has had an
of the Mongol invaGEROLYMATOS
uneasy
alliance
sions in the Thirwith China. To the
teenth
Century,
Special to
The National Herald
south,
RussianNapoleon’s assault
Turkish relations
in the Nineteenth
Century, and the German war are on the brink of hostilities.
Moscow cannot be sure what an
of 1941-1945.
These invasions were exis- erratic and egotistical Turkish
tential threats to the very au- president will do with respect
tonomy, and even existence, of to Russia.
Yet, Vladimir Putin has manRussia and the fear of encirclement has been at the core of aged to resurrect Russia from
Russia’s foreign policy and mili- the doldrums of military decay
and make Moscow a major
tary grand strategies.
The other source of Russian player on the international
aggression is due to geographic stage.
In this respect, the Syrian
limitations. With the exception
of Archangel, which is frozen six civil war has given Putin the opmonths out of the year, the portunity to exploit America’s
Black Sea is the only port that hesitant and confused policy toprovides Russia access to the wards the Middle East and insert Russian influence into the
outside world year round.
region.
Russian military intervention
The question in
in Syria has been resolute, successful, and has made it imposDC and Brussels
sible for any accommodation to
remains whether
be reached in the region without
Moscow’s participation.
the U.S. would
The inescapable conclusion
go to war over
in the capitals of Saudi Arabia,
Iran, Egypt, Jordan, and the rest
Latvia, Estonia,
of the Middle East is that Russia
and Lithuania.
cannot be ignored.
Yet, this is not enough for
Catherine the Great, as a re- Putin. He also wants to exert a
sult, had no choice but to drive strong influence in Europe.
The EU, following America’s
the Ottoman Empire from the
Black Sea regions, particularly lead in the boycott of Russia as
the north coast, in order to se- a result of Moscow’s intervencure a waterway to Europe and tion in Ukraine has left the EU
exposed to Russian pressure.
to the rest of the world.
Despite Catherine’s success, The easiest and most effective
the Dardanelles and Bosporus means for Putin to strike at the
Straits, controlled by the Ot- EU and NATO is to move against
tomans and later the Turks, at the Baltic States.
The question that confronts
any time could be secured to
bottleneck the Russian mer- Washington and Brussels is
chant and battle fleets – a would NATO go to war over
geopolitical and strategic Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania?
dilemma that has frustrated It is certainly a question that
Russian governments for nearly confronts the Baltic States.
Based on their track record, the
300 years.
Consequently, the Black Sea EU and the United States are
provides limited access. In the unlikely to consider that war is
First World War, for example, a viable option.
Putin is getting his way with
the Turks closed the Straits and
thus diminished the ability of intervention in Ukraine and will
the Entente to supply Russia or succeed in either dividing the
facilitate the export of Russian country into pro-west and a prograin from Ukraine. The ensuing Russian factions – in effect he
food crisis toppled Tsar Nicholas has already accomplished this
II and helped bring the Bolshe- and it is only a matter of time
until Russia formally incorpoviks to power.
The Baltic is another outlet rates it share of the unfortunate
for the Russians both with re- country.
The other question is what is
spect to defense and for maintaining communications with next. The Russians have set up
warehouses of so-called trolls –
the world.
Accordingly, the Russians bloggers who are flooding the
have always tried to either dom- Internet with messages and arinate the Baltic States, or out- ticles that are Russian biased,
right incorporate them into Rus- anti EU, and anti US. Russian
sia or the USSR respectively, as techs are manipulating Internet
was the case before and during search engines so that any
search on Russia yields prothe Soviet period.
After the Second World War, Russian articles in the top ten
Soviet policy continued to be results.
This is an effort on a grand
defensive and opportunistic. Despite the rhetoric of world revo- scale and is designed to create
lution emanating from Moscow, a positive spin on future moves
Stalin’s primary concern was de- Moscow may make and to denigrate the Baltic States or any
fense.
The USSR had just fought a other obstacle to Putin’s ambilife and death struggle, repelling tions. Undoubtedly, these are
the Nazi invasion, but at a terri- the signs of an aggressive Russia
ble cost. In human lives alone, that will strike at any potential
the butcher’s bill from that con- region of opportunity.
Like Stalin, Putin is pursuing
flict was over twenty-seven million dead and countless others a defensive strategy, but is ready
to pounce anywhere that is ripe
maimed and left homeless.
The destruction inflicted on for Russian penetration. It is an
Soviet industry was on a mas- open question on whether
sive scale and required years of Greece and the Balkans reprerebuilding. Indeed, the USSR sent such an opening.
never quite recovered, which ultimately led to its downfall.
André Gerolymatos is Director
In the post-Cold War period, of the Stavros Niarchos FoundaRussia was in shambles and re- tion Centre for Hellenic Studies
treated to its pre-great power at Simon Fraser University in
status. The United States took Vancouver.
What is wrong with us? Recep Tayyip Erdogan may go
down in history as the man who
single handedly undid Turkey’s
seven decades as America’s darling, perhaps as one wag put it,
because he got off his meds. Yet,
the U.S.-Greek relationship has
nothing to show for it. The Minister of Defense of Greece cannot even get a meeting with his
American counterpart. Aside
from some kind words during
the summer crisis last year,
America has stayed on the sidelines as Greece crumbled under
the twin pressures of the Eurocrisis and the refugees. Greek
American community leaders
seem to have decided that the
Greek Independence Day cocktail party and photo-op at the
White House suffice for supporting the U.S.-Greek relationship.
This column originally welcomed Erdogan as a breath of
fresh air after decades of corrupt
military control of the wildly
misnamed “only democratic
Muslim State” and as the political leader who would bring
Turkey into the modern world.
He emasculated the Turkish
General Staff, opened the statist
Turkish economy to the oxygen
of modern free enterprise, empowered a new entrepreneurial
middle class, opened the door
to EU membership and defanged the most toxic elements
of the relationship with Greece.
We all happily grasped at thenForeign Minister (and now humiliated) Ahmet Davutoglou’s
assertion that Turkey sought a
policy of “no problems” with all
its neighbors. Erdogan almost
singlehandedly built a modern
Turkey in less than ten years. In
less than half that time he managed to make the country an international pariah. He has
turned Davutoglou’s maxim on
its head: “no neighbors without
problems.”
Yet, Erdogan pays no price
for humiliating Mrs. Merkel, renewing with a vengeance violations of Greek airspace and territorial waters, supporting
for which the punjihadists in Syria, atdits
excoriated
tacking our Kurdish
Obama.
allies in the fight
Greece,
deagainst ISIS and despites its enormous
stroying freedom of
financial problems,
the press and politicontinues to loycal discourse in
ally support the
Turkey. He has
US-led EU ecojailed Turkish journomic sanctions
nalists who criticize
against
Russia
him and expelled
even though Russthe BBC. He has
ian counter-meagratuitously picked
by AMB. PATRICK N.
sures
struck
fights with Egypt,
THEROS
Greece worse than
Israel and Saudi
almost any other
Arabia, all declared
Special to
The National Herald
European country.
American allies. He
Greek bases, esperestarted a dormant
civil war with twenty percent of cially Suda Bay, never stopped
accommodating American and
Turkey’s population.
Despite this dismal record, NATO operations without conthe EU caves in to Erdogan’s ex- ditions, again unlike Turkey.
tortionist demands offering Greece remains one of only four
bribes in the form of billions of NATO countries that still honor
euros, visa-free travel and a free their commitment to keep deticket into the EU. Now Turkey’s fense budgets above 2% of GDP.
old allies in the American Jew- More than a million refugees
ish community are lobbying have crossed from Turkey into
hard to restore the strategic al- Greece fleeing wars Greece had
liance between the two coun- no hand in creating and have
tries. He may have a bad press been welcomed compassionbut Erdogan gets whatever he ately by a population that frewants. The worst that he has quently does not know where
suffered was a Presidential snub its next meal is coming from. In
return for all this, Secretary of
Defense Ashton Carter publicly
snubs the Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos. Most recently, Carter cancelled a meeting with Kammenos because “he
had a busy schedule.” Unlike
Jewish-Americans who eviscerated Obama for mildly reprimanding Netanyahu when the
latter openly interfered in American domestic politics, the
Greek-American
leadership
went silent.
Some Greek news media
speculate that Carter won’t see
Kammenos because the Greek
Parliament passed a law that
might have freed a convicted
terrorist who killed two American diplomats; an eventuality
taken off the books a year ago
and with which Kammenos has
never been associated. Others
believe that Kammenos’ political
Turkish President
opponents have convinced
Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Carter that Kammenos is antiAmerican. Kammenos does have
an undiplomatic tendency to
shoot his mouth off about Europeans but has never criticized
the United States. In fact, he has
made it clear that he will move
Greek defense procurement and
cooperation away from Europe
and closer to the US. By contrast, blatant Turkish action
against American interests do
not seem to have inhibited Secretary Carter’s willingness to
meet and be photographed with
his Turkish counterpart.
In truth, the Greek Government appears incapable of
working with the Greek-American leadership unlike the Israelis. Many of their GreekAmerican friends make no
secret of their dislike for Kammenos for providing the votes
necessary to keep the left-wing
Tsipras government in power.
They concentrate their fire on
pushing Tsipras out of office ignoring the damage they do to
Greece’s image and interests in
the United States. Granted, the
Tsipras Government is no gem
but will bringing it down now
rather than trying to influence
it be better for Greece? Is this
petty political advantage worth
humiliating Greece’s Defense
Minister and probably the most
competent official in the current
Greek government?
As long as Mr. Erdogan does
not go back on his meds, the
Greek-American community has
an opportunity to redirect the
U.S.-Greek relationship. Unless
we get off our backsides, no one
else will do it for us.
The Hon. Ambassador Theros is
president of the U.S.-Qatar
Business Council. He served in
the U.S. Foreign Service for 36
years, mostly in the Middle
East, and was American Ambassador to Qatar from 1995 to
1998. He also directed the State
Department’s
CounterTerrorism Office, and holds numerous U.S. Government decorations.
LETTER FROM ATHENS
Erdogan, Bully of the Bosphorus, Gets What He Wants
How can it be that the United
States is 41st in the World Press
Freedom Index and yet American journalists can – without
fear of being sued, going to jail
or being extradited to a Midnight Express experience – call
Turkish Dictator-for-Life/German Chancellor Recep Tayyip
“Thousand Yard Stare” Erdogan
a “lying, no-good, rotten, fourflushing, low-life, snake-licking,
dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed,
ignorant, blood-sucking, dogkissing, brainless, hopeless,
heartless, bug-eyed, stiff-legged,
spotty-lipped, worm-headed
sack of monkey dung!” Thank
you, Chevy Chase.
And yet the European Union,
NATO, the United Nations, the
United States, Germany, Cyprus,
Greece and the rest of the world
are, in the words of Crosby, Stills
and Nash at Woodstock, “Scared
S…tless” when dealing with
him?
Ah, the irony of history. Now
Erdogan’s secretary, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel
– before she just handed her
pinball crown to him – is Neville
Chamberlain, trying to appease
him so he won’t unleash more
desperate refugees on Europe,
most of who want to go to Germany.
Germany is ranked 16th in
the Reporters Without Borders
World Press Freedom Index but
its journalists now live under the
threat of being prosecuted for
insults.
Criminals there, including
terrorists, can only be identified
by their initials so be on the
lookout for G.W and M.S be-
cludes making a
cause they’re susmonkey out of
pected of planning
Tsipras, Cypriot
an attack. We can’t
President Nicos
tell you where withAnastasiades – so
out invading their
scared he’s willing
privacy to bomb
to let Turkey,
something.
which keeps a
President Obama
standing army on
and American politihis island where it
cians are insulted
unlawfully occuevery day without
pies one-third of
recourse and GOP
the territory - have
Presidential nomiby ANDY
a joint military
nee Donald Trump
DABILIS
force in hopes of
has turned the tareunifying the isbles, ridiculing jourSpecial to
land divided since
nalists and politiThe National Herald
Turkey invaded in
cians
alike:
“Crooked Hillary!” and “Lyin’ 1974.
Obama, after eight years of
Ted!” included. You think a German reporter would identify dealing with Erdogan, whose
Merkel as “Erdogan’s lap dog!” ego is so big it takes up half the
rooms in the 1100-room palace
and get away with it?
No Greek journalist has he built for himself, finally disdared insult Erdogan because covered the Turkish Dictator
they know Greek Premier Alexis was “authoritarian.”
Despite that realization,
“Che” Tsipras would back down
faster than a Radical Left Obama and the United States
SYRIZAN confronted by a Capi- didn’t say boo when Erdogan
forced out Turkish Prime Ministalist banker.
There’s a reason why Turkey ter Ahmet Davutoglu and is
ranks 151st out of 180 countries ready to replace him with the
in press freedom and his name Dictator’s own son-in-law. This
is Erdogan, who has ordered the is the guy the European Union is
takeover of independent news- dealing with and kowtowing to.
Erdogan has also directed
papers, the arrest and jailing of
journalists as terrorists because constant violations of Greek airhe doesn’t like them and now space and territorial waters
has been emboldened by the while Greek Defense Minister
otherwise free world to do Panos Kammenos hasn’t said
whatever he wants because – squat beyond some frightened
gasp – he will let loose a new platitudes. Tsipras still hasn’t
avalanche of refugees on Eu- said a word about it.
Erdogan demanded, and is
rope, 54,000 of whom are stuck
getting six billion euros, visain Greece already.
He can do what he wants be- free travel for Turkish citizens
cause he is the law, and that in- in Europe and fast-track entry
into the EU although he won’t
recognize Cyprus, which is a
member, and bars Cypriot ships
and planes.
When the EU said the terms
included Turkey changing its
broad definition of terrorism,
now used by Erdogan to jail
anyone he doesn’t like, he
laughed in the face of Merkel
and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and
refused. Their response? Give
him what he wants!
The poem read on air in Germany by comic Jan Bohmermann, which led Merkel to bow
to Erdogan’s demand to prosecute him, was brutally profane.
But it would be protected under free speech in countries
where there is a real free press
such as the United States, not
Germany which now has none.
Bohmermann said Merkel
“served me up for tea” to Erdogan.
Now the Turkish Dictator
wants the head of the German
publisher Axel Springer prosecuted for laughing at Bohmerman’s poem. “Mr. Erdo?an is a
human being and human dignity is inviolable,” his lawyer
said, adding that this was placed
above the freedom of press, art
and opinion in the German Constitution.”
Erdogan human? So are the
victims of his wrath, jailed journalists and dissidents, people
killed in protests against his
megalomaniac reign and the
refugees he holds hostage to
control the EU.
[email protected]
Why Newt Gingrich is both a Good and Bad Choice as Donald Trump’s Running Mate
Now that Donald Trump has
virtually secured the Republican
presidential nomination, the
conversation has rapidly shifted
from “contested convention” to
“running mate.”
Trump has placed former
GOP rival Dr. Ben Carson in
charge of his vice presidential
search committee, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie,
who was also in the running for
president, as head of his transition team if and when he is
elected. While that doesn’t preclude Trump from selecting either as his running mate, it decreases their odds.
But there is another name –
one we thought we’d heard the
last of in 2012 – that has been
thrown around as of late, to be
Trump’s number two: former
House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
No one but Gingrich best
serves as the face of Republican
Revolution of 1994, which ush-
ered in the first GOP-controlled
Congress in 40 years, based on
a Contract with America.
Through the mid-1990s, Gin-
Newt Gingrich
losses, compelled
grich was the ReGingrich to step
publicans’ rising
down as speaker
star, and many
and leave the
pundits were cerHouse altogether in
tain he would run
January 1999.
for president, and
He stayed in the
win.
thick of things durHe led Congress
ing the ensuing
to its last balanced
decade, but didn’t
budget to date, but
run for office again
also bore the brunt
until 2012, when
of the blame for the
he entered the Regovernment shutby CONSTANTINOS E.
publican race for
down during which
SCAROS
president. After rishe was politically
ing to the top of the
outmaneuvered by
Special to
The National Herald
field by out-debatthen-President Bill
ing his opponents
Clinton, who eswith an explosion of ideas and
caped unscathed.
An ethics charge by House nary a negative word, he was
Democrats – that he claimed tax bombarded by rival Mitt Romexemption on income from a ney, whose establishment Supercourse he taught for political pur- PACs unleashed a vicious negaposes, the only one of their tive ad campaign against him.
Long on knowledge but short
charges that stuck – and being
scapegoated by his fellow Repub- on campaign savvy, Gingrich
licans for 1988 midterm election never recovered and Romney
went on to win the nomination.
Now, several political analysists think Gingrich is at or near
the top to become Trump’s running mate. And that is both a
very good choice, and a very
bad one.
All his braggadocio aside,
even Trump himself concedes
that he does not have any political experience, and needs a
Washington insider to push legislation in the first 100 days of
his presidency, a period Trump
deems as “critical.” Gingrich is
as good a choice in that respect
as any, and better than most.
Add to that Gingrich’s penchant
for outside-the-box thinking,
and it seems that with Trump at
the helm, it is hard to imagine a
better second-in-command.
Except for one thing: the dynamite duo cannot display their
gifts of governance even for a
day unless they are actually
elected to office, and a Trump-
Gingrich ticket presents a major
electability problem.
Trump has a major problem
attracting women voters. And
the thrice-married Gingrich
who, like Trump, was a known
adulterer in his younger days,
won’t help matters any. Also like
Trump, Gingrich can be abrasive, caustic, brash, and arrogant at times, all traits that men
as a whole tend to overlook
(and to some extent even admire), but which for many
women are dealbreakers.
For a number of reasons,
then, Gingrich would make a
fantastic vice president, but an
unhelpful vice presidential nominee.
Constantinos E. Scaros' latest
book, Grumpy Old Party (about
the 2016 presidential election),
is available for purchase on
amazon.com and in bookstores
nationwide.
VIEWPOINTS
14
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 14-20, 2016
Greek-Americans and the Great Importance of the Preservation of Greece’s Antiquities
By Dr. Leonidas Petrakis
The Parthenon – that quintessential expression of the artistic greatness, political power,
and intellectual dynamism of
classical Greece – has suffered
not only the ravages of time, but
also vandalism, fires, and military attacks. Built as a temple
to Athena, it also has served as
an Orthodox and Catholic
church, Muslim mosque, fortress
and munitions storage facility.
In 1687, when Europe’s Holy
League was fighting the Ottoman Turks, Venetian forces
under General Francesco Morosini laid siege and bombarded
the Acropolis where the Turks
had retreated. An artillery shell
hit the Parthenon, which the
Turks had converted to a munitions depot, and reduced it to
ruins. Morosini also attempted
removing works of art, causing
further damage. The Turks retook the Acropolis and turned
it into a bazaar selling souvenirs
to Western travelers.
A century after this catastrophe the Parthenon suffered its
worst injury, this time in the
hands of Britain’s Lord Elgin.
Lord Byron called it “vandalism”, writing in Childe Harold's
Pilgrimage, the antiquities of
Greece “defac'd by British
hands.”
Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, was appointed in 1799
British Ambassador at the Porte,
the Ottoman seat of power in
Constantinople. He proved a
skillful diplomat and lent British
support to Ottoman Turkey in
its war against France. He also
proved a consummate and systematic looter of the Parthenon
aiming to adorn his Scottish
villa.
Lord Elgin, with technical advice from an obscure Italian
painter (Giovanni Lusieri), a
controversial firman (it exists
only in translation), and baksheesh generosity towards the
Turkish officials in Athens for
their liberal interpretation of the
alleged authorizing document,
embarked on a systematic pillaging of the Parthenon and its
treasures that lasted for over ten
years. His agents caused much
destruction as they cut up integral parts of the Parthenon and
shipped boatloads of them to
England. In 1816 faced with financial hardships due to a
messy divorce he sold the treasures to the British Museum.
The vicissitudes that buffeted
Lion Gate at Mycenae.
We are in the 21st Century,
and Yet We Still Have to Ask:
Why Isn’t War Obsolete Yet?
By Constance Constant
Scenes from my childhood
were rekindled with recent commemorations of the end of
World War II 70 years ago.
I remember small, red-whiteand-blue, gold-fringed service
banners hanging in street-facing
windows in our neighborhood.
Adults explained that when the
star in the middle turned from
blue to gold, it meant someone
in that family had died in the
war. But I was only 5 years old
and didn’t know what that word
“war” meant.
Holding my big sister’s hand
and stepping off the steep steps
of a noisy, Chicago streetcar on
a sunny day in August 1945, I
recall being startled by a boisterous throng of older neighborhood kids on the sidewalk. Tooting New Year’s Eve horns and
happily shaking noisemakers,
they shouted, “The war is over!
The war is over! The Japanese
surrendered!”
My sister’s pretty face broke
into a big smile. Five-year-old
me was happy because everyone
around me was happy, but I still
didn’t understand that word
“war.” All Americans breathed
great sighs of relief hearing the
extraordinary news. My older
cousins, who had gone off to
fight the war, began returning
to our family’s fold.
Cousin George, with Gen.
Patton’s 3rd Army, fought at the
Battle of the Bulge, where
19,000 American military died.
George didn’t say much about
the war when he came home.
He was one of the first Americans to enter Nazi concentration
camps. George had seen hell on
earth and didn’t want to talk
about it. Our cousin Bill arrived
home with a huge bandage
where his eye used to be; he lost
it at “the Bulge.”
But, sadly, happy-go-lucky
cousin Socrates, lovingly called
“Sockie,” returned to his grieving, widowed mother and three
sisters in an American flagdraped coffin, issued by the
Navy Department. Sock died in
Saipan one day before the war
ended.
Perhaps it was my cousins’
personal sacrifice that sparked
my interest in the Second World
War. Many Americans, born
decades later, know little about
the worldwide upheaval that
preserved the freedoms we enjoy today. Perhaps they don’t realize that “history counts” in all
our lives.
Since 1945, millions more of
our planet’s innocent civilians
and soldiers have tragically endured wars in Korea, Vietnam,
Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and
too many other places to list
here. Yet when “The War” is referenced, it usually means World
War II.
In adulthood, I met child survivors of WWII from Asia and
Europe. While I had safely lived
my childhood in Chicago, not
comprehending what “war”
meant, kids like me had fearfully come face to face with vicious, armed, enemy soldiers.
Some children had been forcibly
separated from their parents.
Others were inhumanely transported to concentration camps.
Too many child survivors found
themselves homeless and alone
in the world after the war.
I have good friends who endured famine in Nazi-occupied
Greece, an American ally in
World War II.
These helpless, starving children witnessed terrorism, violence, disease, and heart-rending death. They lived war for
the supposed “fun years” of
childhood. Unlike 5-year-old
me, innocent kids all over the
planet knew, too well, the definition of the word.
Why hasn’t humanity outgrown the viciousness of war?
With centuries of ethical and
moral philosophy, human evolution, advancing civilization,
and widespread religious and
secular education under humanity’s belt, why is the word “war”
not archaic and obsolete in the
21st century? Is the grasp of
power so sweet for the greedy,
war-mongering “few” that they
cannot be peacefully outswayed by the peace-loving
“many?”
Knowing my cousins’ and
friends’ war experiences, I
choose dialogue, diplomacy, and
negotiations over violent retaliation in solving international
deadlocks. Mutual, assured suffering must stop. We owe it to
the world’s children.
Many Americans, now senior
citizens, were kids like me who
did not comprehend the meaning of “war” in the early 1940s.
Five-year-olds aren’t supposed
to understand the ugly word.
And we should keep it that way
for all kids — of every age —
everywhere.
Constance Constant is author of
American Kid, Nazi-Occupied
Greece Through a Child’s Eyes.
This piece, which she shared
with
us
for
publication,
originally appeared in The Daily
Breeze, on April 5.
the Parthenon affected all antiquities – monuments, sculptures and other art objects,
epigraphs, manuscripts – and
by the time of the Greek War of
Independence their condition
was dismal. The newly founded
state, recognizing the importance of these treasures as a potential resource for enabling
Greece to regain its historical
footing and take its rightful
place among the modern European nations, created the Department of Antiquities, a
grossly understaffed and underfunded entity unable to deal
with the immensity and criticality of the situation.
The Greek Diaspora in the
face of Constantine Bellios, a
wealthy merchant living in Vienna, proved helpful in this area
also. Bellios suggested to influential Greek scholars and politicians the formation of an independent organization that
would deal with the problems
and opportunities presented by
the antiquities. As a result the
Archaeological Society at Athens
was founded in 1837 with the
aim of locating, restoring, studying, and exhibiting the antiquities, and without government
funding undertook many projects starting with the restoration of the Parthenon and the
excavation of the Acropolis.
The achievements of the Ancients have influenced all aspects of our modern civilization
in profound, widespread, and,
sometimes, unexpected ways.
Angelos Chaniotis, Professor of
Ancient History and Classics, Institute for Advanced Study,
Princeton, has aptly observed,
“The importance of dreaming
and religious healing in sanctuaries of Asclepius for Sigmund
Freud is well known. What is
less known is that the ancient
inscriptions, on which the work
of psychoanalysts was based,
were found during the excavations of the Archaeological Society at Epidaurus. These inscriptions
record
dream
experiences…. Archaeology
sometimes works in strange
ways. Exactly as, according to
chaos theory, the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil may set
off a tornado in Texas, the discovery of a monument, a site,
an object, or an inscription is
part of a complex process of reconstructing the past, that has
an impact on areas as diverse
as psychoanalysis and history of
religion, art and literature—
think of the influence of the Cycladic idols on Picasso and
Moore—or the identity of a nation and the collective memory
and cultural awareness of those
who respect human values. For
nearly 180 years, the Archaeological Society at Athens has
been a leader in this process of
exploring the remains of the
past in Greece, from the Neolithic period to the Byzantine
Empire.”
The Propylaea of the Acropolis.
The work of the Greek archaeologists has been significantly leveraged by non-Greek
well-known scholars and philanthropists: Heinrich Schliemann excavating Mycenae lent
credence to the historicity of
Homer’s works; Sir Arthur
Evans discovered the Minoan
civilization in Knossos; German
unearthed
archaeologists
Olympia, birthplace of the
Olympic Games; and The American School of Classical Studies
at Athens has pursued major excavations and restorations at the
Agora in Athens, Corinth, Pylos
and Nemea with generous support from The Rockefeller and
Hewllett Packard foundations.
On the other hand, Greek archaeologists – some towering
scholars with stellar contributions to the science and practice
of archaeology – are not as well
known in the Greek American
community. Among them: Kyriakos Pittakis, one of the
founders of Greek archaeology
and epigraphy, being passionate
about the antiquities famously
opted to supply bullets to the
besieged Turks in the Acropolis
during the War of Independence
so they would not destroy the
monuments to recover the lead
for making bullets, reassembled
the Erechtheion which the Turks
had converted to a harem, collected valuable inscriptions, and
excavated Mycenae restoring
the iconic Lion Gate;
Christos Tsountas, who discovered the Cycladic Civilization, inaugurated the study of
the Neolithic Civilization, and
made the Society one of the
greatest innovators of archaeological research; Stephanos
Koumanoudis, who greatly extended the Society’s work to
sites and monuments other than
the Acropolis, including the
Agora, later taken over by the
American School of Classical
Studies; Spyridon Marinatos,
who in 1967 undertook the ex-
cavation on Thera (Santorini,
the island presumed to be
Plato’s Atlantis). The site, an important seaport at the time of
the Minoan Civilization, was destroyed by a volcanic eruption
around 1500 BC. Using advanced and multidisciplinary
scientific approaches, Marinatos
discovered the town, buried
similarly to Pompei, with intact
houses, their furniture and stunning wall paintings. Seven years
into the project, Marinatos had
a tragic end at the very site
when a wall collapsed and
buried him under the prehistoric
debris; and Manolis Andronikos
of the University of Thessaloniki, who in 1977 unearthed
at Vergina the tombs (replete
with objects of great historical
importance) of Macedonian
kings, including that of Philip II,
father of Alexander the Great.
These
archaeological
achievements, important in
defining the national identity of
modern Greece, have an enormous
economic
benefit.
Greece’s “heavy industry”
(tourism) has been built on the
legendary Greek philoxenia; the
extraordinary variability and
beauty of the country; and the
opportunity for visitors to experience the evidence of an unparalleled cultural past that is the
cornerstone of our modern
Western civilization. The Archaeological Society at Athens
has been a leader in this effort
with over 1000 projects (several
of them now UNESCO World
Heritage Sites), often under extremely difficult circumstances
(World Wars I and II) and almost never with adequate funding.
In 2015 a group of eminent
international scholars – Founding Board members are Gregory
Nagy (Harvard), Angelos Chaniotis (Princeton), Nanno Marinatos (University of Illinois at
Chicago),
Ronald
Stroud
(Berkeley), and Michael Cos-
mopoulos (University of Missouri at St Louis) – announced
the formation of the Archaeological Society Foundation, a
private non-profit organization
with the purpose “to raise the
funds that will allow the Society
(at Athens) to continue discovering and protecting Greece’s
cultural heritage”. In the current
economic crisis in Greece the
need for international support
for the Society is particularly
acute, and hopefully Greek
American philanthropy will respond.
Earlier this Spring, the Foundation presented its inaugural
program at the Institute of Fine
Arts in New York. The speakers–
Board members and Dr. Dora
Vassilicos of the Archaeological
Society at Athens-gave an introduction to the history of the Archaeological Society and its research (Professors Nagy and
Chaniotis) and presented two
old excavations of the Society,
in Thera (Professor Nanno Marinatos) and Mycene (Dr. Vassilicos) and two new exciting field
projects at the Mycenaean
palace in Iklaina, Messenia (Professor Cosmopoulos) and at the
sanctuary of Poseidon in Onchestos, Boiotia (Professor Ioannis Mylonopoulos, Columbia
University). The presentations
are posted on the Foundation’s
website:
archsocwordpresscom.wordpress.com.
Leonidas Petrakis holds a PhD
in physical chemistry from the
University
of
California,
Berkeley, was Chairman and Senior Scientist of the Department
of Applied Sciences at Brookhaven National Laboratory, has
taught at various universities in
the US, France, and Greece, did
research in the private sector,
and is the author of several
books and of more than 150
peer-reviewed scientific publications. He now resides in Oakland, CA.
It’s time for the Greek Orthodox Church to Look Inwardly
By Chris Chiames
I have worked for over 30
years in the field of public relations, including high profile assignments in government and
industry. Effective communication is a two-way model. It often starts with listening before
speaking in order to assess, understand, and connect with your
audience. Not simply to say
what someone wants to hear,
but to be able to engage and
create a conversation and build
the relationship.
When church leaders look
out over empty pews and come
up short on fundraising goals,
they might want to look inwardly, start listening, and factor in their audience’s point of
view before talking.
The Faith Teachings column
in the April issue of the Orthodox Observer is one example of
the misconnect between parishioners and Orthodox Church elders, and the missed opportunity for effective dialogue.
Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver used the recent Teachings
column to illuminate us on the
Church’s rules on suicide and
cremation. Now, the metropolitan did not author these teachings, he’s simply the messenger
of sorts. Even so, his point of
view has been espoused by
many of his colleagues and one
many of us have heard before.
Specifically, readers were told
in the column that when it
comes to an Orthodox funeral
for a church member who commits suicide, “the only interpretation that the Church can give
is that such a person [who commits suicide] rejects the life
given them by the Holy Spirit”
and thus, the Church does not
offer a funeral service unless a
doctor provides a “reputable
statement that the person committing suicide was not in his or
her right mind.”
Most people who commit suicide are not thinking rationally.
Whether it be from mental ill-
We need the comfort of a loving God, not the manmade rules
and interpretations from 1400 years ago.
ness, the pain of emotional
events, the rejection of loved
ones (and sometimes even the
Church) or a host of other reasons. Whatever the source of
that pain, the events that lead
an individual to go into the
darkest of emotional corners
and take their own life are numerous and rarely based on rational thinking.
So, getting a “doctor’s note”
is relatively easy. What is the
point of this lesson, except to
pass judgment and add more
angst and guilt to the survivors
of a suicide victim?
Then, the metropolitan
moves on to the subject of cremation and the lessons of the
Church forbidding cremation
because it is an act of desecration of the body. “It is also im-
portant to note that the Orthodox Christian funeral service is
written on the premise that a
body is present. Consequently,
whether a body is cremated, lost
at sea or otherwise absent, the
funeral service cannot be conducted,” he writes.
What does that mean? If
there is no Orthodox funeral,
there is no eternal life? So the
nearly 1,000 victims of the 9/11
attacks that were never identified aren’t going to heaven because there was no body to bury?
During my career in the airline industry, I was the first executive on the scene of an accident that killed all 20
passengers and crew. The commuter plane exploded on impact
and burned completely. Nothing left except soot on the run-
way. So, if there were Orthodox
Christians on that plane, they
would have not been granted a
funeral? When the bones of our
great-grandparents were dug up
from the village cemetery,
placed in a tiny box and put on
a shelf in the church in order to
make room for the next round
of burials, was that somehow
better? And what exactly is going to heaven? The box of
bones? We’ve been told that
when we reunite with our loved
ones in heaven, it will be glorious. Will I be going as my 80year-old self, unable to hear and
walking with a cane? Or in my
25-year-old body, dancing and
rejoicing?
And what about the impact
these “lessons” have on the survivors? At a time when the
Church can be a source of
strength and faith, it is instead
creating confusion and adding
more sorrow over the loss of a
loved one. Even when the exception is made, it still requires
a special procedure to allow the
funeral to take place. So we are
then forced to entertain special
requests for a funeral, rather
than focus on providing empathy.
Our young people are not
equipped to unilaterally accept
teachings that lack rationale and
relevance like the immigrants of
100 years ago who simply accepted Church doctrine, even if
it made no sense. We have
taught them to be critical
thinkers and they have access
to unlimited sources of information and points of view.
Stop lecturing. Start listening. Stop judging. Start engaging. We need the comfort of a
loving God, not the manmade
rules and interpretations of
what mortals thought 1400
years ago.
Chris Chiames is a member of
the St. George parish in Bethesda, MD and has served in a
number of executive roles in
public relations.